Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution
by kingjustin1019
Summary: Rei, a child with the strange power of Geass and lost memories becomes a deciding factor in the events that will shape the future of mankind. What are the Overmen? Are they key to humanity's future? Who will survive to see the new world? AU
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to Studio Sunrise and CLAMP. Please support the official release of this fanfic. **

**Edit (3/11/19): Do not forget to leave a review for every chapter.**

**SPOILERS AHEAD if you have not watched the anime or read the mangas.**

**A/N: This story will be different from the canonical universe in a few ways.**

**1\. The Byakuen and the Lancelot Grail in Oz of the Reflection will be in this and will be piloted by two different characters that you'll see in a moment.**

**2\. Naoto is alive (Cause why not?)**

**3\. Some of the characters will change and differ from the canon.**

**4\. Knightmares from Oz of the Reflection will be here.**

**5\. Characters from Lancelot and Guren will appear**

**6\. New Knightmare Frames will appear.**

**7\. Some minor characters will be given major roles to play in the events that will follow as we progress.**

**8\. Knightmares from Code Geass video games will appear (Because they've been forgotten)**

**9\. People other than Geass Users with superhuman abilities will appear.**

**That's all, have a nice day!**

* * *

**Prologue**

_August 10, 2010, a day that would live in infamy as the day that the Holy Britannian Empire declared war against Japan. The reason? To claim the world's biggest supply of Sakuradite deep under Japanese soil that is numbered to be 70% of the world's supply of it. The hotly disputed issue over the rights to these underground issue sparked tensions between the two sides. In the deciding battle of the mainland, the Britannians unleashed the Armored Autonomous Knightmare Frame into the field of battle. This new humanoid weapon tore through the last lines of defense and bended Japan to its knees. The country and its people were stripped of everything, rights, culture, and even a name. Area 11, the once proud nation of Japan had lost and its people, now called Elevens, had no other choice but to accept defeat._

_7 years have passed and resistance groups all over Area 11 fight against their oppressors. One of these groups would soon change the entire world. One such group was a small resistance cell lead by Naoto Kozuki. While their numbers are insignificant, this group in particular will come across something that will change everything the world has ever known and bring about a great transformation to humanity._

* * *

**Naoto's Hideout, Shinjuku Ghetto**

Naoto and Kallen Kozuki has taken a boy into their little hideout in the Shinjuku Ghetto. The boy was about 14 years old at best. He was in a prison uniform. The boy looked like a half-breed between Japanese and Britannian. He had the Caucasian white skin, but his facial features seemed Japanese. His hair was a strange silver white color. He also had a strange collar they removed from his neck. He was unconscious for the most part. They found him wandering in the Ghetto aimlessly in the night. When he collapsed, they took him in.

The two siblings wondered what to do with the boy. They were at a moment of impasse. A solution was yet to be found.

"What do we do Naoto? We can't just leave him here." Kallen said.

"I know, I'm thinking." Naoto said as he tried to think, "Got any suggestions?"

"Well... I don't know." Kallen said.

The boy stirred from his unconscious state and opened his eyes. The two siblings noticed the boy waking up. His eyes were a bright red color. A very strange eye color.

"Hey there." Kallen said.

"We found you unconscious, so I thought to bring you here." Naoto said, "Are you ok?"

The boy sat up and held his head. His head felt completely fuzzy. His head felt like a mess. His whole body felt ragged. He tried to think of something, but everything was cloudy and fuzzy. All could do was nod his head.

"Do you remember how you ended up here?" Naoto asked.

The boy shook his head. Kallen seemed skeptical about the boy's answer. The boy tried to remember how he got here, but with all the fuzziness in his head, it was hard to get an image in his head running.

"Can't remember? Well what about your name? You remember that right?" Naoto asked.

"N... no." The boy finally spoke.

Naoto turned away and began to think.

_'A case of amnesia?'_ Naoto thought, _'Its likely he doesn't remember anything.'_

"Do you remember having any parents?" Kallen asked.

The boy tried to remember his parents. Suddenly, he began to hear and see something in his head.

* * *

_"Momma! Papa! Help me!" _The boy's voice cried out.

He was being dragged away from his parents, a Britannian nobleman and a Japanese woman.

_"What are you doing?! He's my son! You can't do this!"_ The nobleman exclaimed as the soldiers restrained him.

The soldiers began to beat the man while the woman was restrained. The woman looked to her child as he struggled to get free from a soldier that was holding him tightly.

_"I'm sorry Neilson, but it has to be done."_The soldier said before pulling out a gun, _"You were planning to leave to the Chinese Federation to share them all of our project's research findings over to them in exchange for protection for your dumb wife and your stupid child. You have become a dangerous man that must be dealt with."_

_"Leave then alone then! If it's me you want then kill me then! Just leave my wife and child alone!"_ The nobleman said, _"Just leave my family alone! I'm the one you want! For the love of god, don't hurt them!"_

_"Sorry, he said he wanted only the kid. You and your wife are expendable."_ The soldier said before there was a loud gunshot rang out.

* * *

He found himself in reality with shock on his face.

"They're... dead." The boy said.

'Oh no...' Naoto thought as he quickly turned to the boy, "I see then..."

"What do we do? We can't just keep him here and we can't let him go out into the streets." Kallen whispered to Naoto's ear.

"I know, but what other choice do we have?" Naoto whispered to his sister.

The two thought about it for a while and sighed.

"Alright then, I guess you're free stay with us then." Naoto said.

"Re-really?" The boy asked.

"Well, you might as well be here. If there were an orphanage that would take you in, I would have left you there with the caretaker there." Naoto said, "Until then, I guess you're stuck with us."

"But only once we find you a place to live safely in." Kallen said, "That's how long you're staying here, alright?"

"Ok then miss." The boy said.

"I'm only 17. Just Kallen will do." Kallen said.

"And I'm her older brother, Naoto." Naoto said, "Oh yeah, that's right... you don't have a name. Guess we'll just have to come up with one."

He began thinking of a name. The letters of the name came to mind.

"How about... Rei?" Naoto asked, "Since you nothing about yourself and you appeared like a ghost, It seems appropriate given the meaning of the word."

"How's that?" Kallen asked.

The boy pondered in that name. He felt a ring to it.

"Yeah." The boy said.

"Alright then Rei, you're welcome to stay here." Naoto said with a smile, "Don't cause any trouble and we'll get along just nicely."

* * *

**Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement**

Within the palace Clovis la Britannia and Bartley Asprius were alone in the Viceroy's chambers.

"What do you mean he was lost?!" Clovis asked in a fit of rage.

"I'm sorry my lord!" Bartley said as he wiped the sweat of his forehead, "The subject somehow went berserk and escaped. We have search parties looking for him right now and I assure you, your highness, we will have him back before you know it!"

"That better be true or else!" Clovis said as he fixed his hair and regained his composure, "He is a vital asset in Code R."

"I see your little guinea pig escaped from its cage." A male voice said.

"You!" Bartley exclaimed as he turned to see a masked figure come out, "What do you want?"

The masked man wearing a red Britannian officer uniform walked in with a mask covering his eyes. He seemed to be in his 20s. The mask had red tinted glass that was more like a one sided window, hiding the man's eyes. His hair was blonde and long, styled so that its length is shortened up to and covered the nape of his neck.

"I'm only here because I wanted to hear what was going on." The man said.

Bartley looked at the masked man with anger and distrust.

"Know your place Durandal! If it were not for your skill, Prince Clovis wouldn't have-"

"I know that part already." The man called Durandal said, "His escape means little consequence to us."

"Little?! His skills as a pilot are measurable to that of a Knight of the Round, same as you!" Bartley said, "He was a vital asset along with that witch and you know it!"

"Oh I do. I do know that. It's just that he's just a boy." Durandal said, "The shock from his escape could have caused him to lose all of his memories, so even if we get him back, he'd be useless to us."

Bartley looked crossed and clenched his fists tightly.

"You listen here, Durandal. We are not pawns for your amusement! And the prince isn't your puppet either, so either you just shut up and look for him, or I'll-!"

"Bartley, that's enough." Clovis said, "He seems to have a point."

"Wha?! You can't be serious!" Bartley said.

"Old friend, I knew you'd listen to me." Durandal said.

"Well that is the reason I made you sub-viceroy after all. It's the least I can do as an old friend." Clovis said, "Call off the search. There's no need to waste our time."

"But sire..." Bartley paused when he turned to Clovis, "Yes my lord. It shall be done."

He left the Viceroy alone with Durandal.

"Durandal?" Clovis asked.

"Yes old friend?" Durandal asked.

"Should anything happen to me, ensure that Code R stays completely secret. If the Imperial Royal Family were to find out, it would cause... complications." Clovis said, "I intend to present it to my father soon enough."

"I see then..." Durandal said, "And what about the ASEEC? I heard they developed a more advanced Knightmare Frame funded by Prince Schneizel."

"I'm sure my brother has found a good pilot right about now, so there's no need for you to test it." Clovis said.

"I see then." Durandal said, "What of the scientists from the Rosenberg Institute? Should I have them move to Narita?"

"No, they're fine where they are." Clovis said, "Just tighten security."

"Right then." Durandal said, "I'll leave you be old friend."

"Take care." Clovis said as Durandal left.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

Durandal arrived at his private estate, parking the car into the garage. He got out of the car and entered his private abode. He took of his mask, revealing his blue eyes and a small scar on his forehead. He had obtained that scar during the battle of Itsukushima, where some shrapnel had cut his face. The man walked up the stairs and went to to his room. In his room was an Indian girl staring out into the sky. The girl was about 14 years old. Her hair was black and was tied into buns. She was in a dress. Her skin was brown.

"Lalah, don't you think it's a bit late to be up at night? A girl needs her sleep." Durandal said.

"Captain..." The Indian girl said as she turned around.

Her face had a red bindi on her forehead. She lived with Durandal for years after they first met at a brothel where he saved her.

"How's Ashford treating you?" Durandal asked.

"It's exactly everything as you said it was. Everyone seems to have accepted me." Lalah said, "Everyone seemed nice!"

"I guess I was right to have you attend there." Durandal said, "Now why are you up right now?"

"Well... I had a feeling." Lalah said, "It was coming from Shinjuku Ghetto."

"A feeling from the Ghettos?" Durandal asked, "How so?"

"Well... last night, I had a dream where a boy with silver hair was running. I didn't know what it meant, so I thought of it as nothing." Lalah said, "But then I mysteriously heard his voice in my sleep at night."

"And what did he say?" Durandal asked.

"He said... Geass." Lalah said, "It is a strange word. I looked up every book for that word and it never shows up."

Durandal rubbed his chin. He put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her with kindness.

"You should go to bed. I'll think about it tomorrow." Durandal said.

"I... yes captain." Lalah said as she left the room.

Durandal smirked.

_'She really is that special. Just as I hoped from a human who has evolved into the next phase of evolution.'_ Durandal thought, _'Soon, there will be more like her and they'll change everything we know today. She's just one of the people who won the evolutionary lottery.'_

He changed out of his uniform and wore his pajamas before turning out the lights and going to bed. He put his mask off to the side. He slept in his bed after turning the lights off.

* * *

**Unknown Location **

A little 10-year-Old boy sat on a temple in the sky. His hair was longer than his body. He smiled.

"Let the curtains rise." The boy said, "Now then, what will you do my white prince?"


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning of a War

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to CLAMP and Studio Sunrise. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Chapter 1: The Beginning of a War**

Rei was standing in the middle of an empty void. The void was empty. All he was wearing were nothing but rugged clothes that Naoto gave him. A jacket, a tank top, and some pants. He smelled the scent of burning ash. He stood in a fiery ruined city filled with purple flames that continued to burn. Standing in the middle of those flames was a figure. The figure stood there as if it was not affected by the flames or was even afraid of the flames. Rei went over to the figure, running through the flames.

The figure quickly turned to reveal a mask over its head. The mask was spiky and was black and indigo with a sigil that spread out like the wings of a bird in flight over the bottom of the mask. It gave off an ominous presence.

"What are you?" Rei asked.

The figure did not speak. The figure stood still like a statue. Rei looked at the motionless figure. The figure suddenly spread its arms out as flames surged towards Rei, engulfing him in flames, burning his skin. As his body burned in the flames, he saw a glowing sigil hovering above. It was like the sigil from the bottom of the mask, only bigger and red. The sigil flew towards him and engulfed him in light.

He awoke and quickly got up. He looked around to find that he was in his bedroom. He got out of bed and wore the clothes Naoto gave him. He wondered about the dream he had. There was something about that dream that made him wonder about it. He didn't know what the dream meant or why it left him with wonder. He wasn't sure what it was. All he did know was that it was strange and he felt something off about that dream. Suddenly, he felt something in his mind. Something was reaching out to him. He didn't know what it was, but it was calling to him.

He quickly went outside and looked for the source of the feeling. He heard a sound that came with it. Then there was pressure on him. He turned to the direction of where the sound was coming from and went to that direction. He navigated through the streets of the Ghetto and found where the sound was coming from. It was coming from what appears to be the entrance to the subway system underground. He didn't know what was down there, but he knew he was going to find out what it was that was down there. He went down into the subway system.

He ventured in the underground tunnels, following the sound as it was getting louder. He kept venturing in the tunnels until he came across a truck that was stuck. It looked to have gotten itself in a ditch. He rushed over to the truck and opened the door. There he saw a familiar face. It was Nagata! Nagata was in the truck! He was bleeding from the shoulder! He remembered seeing Nagata when Naoto introduced him to his friends. Was he the one calling out to Rei? No... the sound was still there. It wasn't Nagata. He opened the side door of the truck's container. He went over to it and saw a strange purple capsule. There was electricity surging around it. The sound was coming from there. He didn't know why it was calling out to him. He went over to the capsule and put his hand on it.

_"Help me..."_ a female voice called out, _"Free me from this prison..."_

_'There's someone in here!'_ Rei thought, "Nagata-San!"

He got over to the front and shook Nagata. He began to stir as his eyes opened. He looked at the boy with surprise.

"R-Rei? What are you-?" Nagata asked before he yelped and held his shoulder.

"Y-you're hurt..." Rei said.

"Well, that's what I get for not seeing an ambush." Nagata said.

"Ambush? You mean you were attacked by someone?" Rei asked.

"Yeah, I suppose he never told you the truth of what's been going on here." Nagata said as he got up, "You see that purple container? That thing has poison gas inside of it."

"Poison gas? But I heard someone in there... how can that be if I can hear someone in there?" Rei asked.

"A person? Hold on a second kid, we don't even know if it really is poison gas. At least that's what Naoto suspects." Nagata said.

"Suspects?" Rei asked, "What's going on here? Why are you hurt?"

Nagata looked to the child before looking at a photo of his family. He sighed.

"Look, he's been leading this resistance cell for more than long enough. He said he wanted to take this thing and just destroy it than use it." Nagata said, "Think about it, we'd be no better than the Brits who don't give a damn about us Japanese if we used it here. This kind of weapon has to be destroyed no matter what."

"But there is someone in there! I know it! I heard a voice in it! It's a girl! She's been stuck in there for who knows how long!" Rei said.

"And if it were true, then what? The Brits would rather kill everyone involved with her to cover it up than let the world know their dirty secrets." Nagata said, "Find my communicator. I need it."

Rei got out as Nagata got out of the truck as well. Rei heard that sound again, followed by that same voice from the capsule.

_"Free me..."_ the voice called out.

"There it is again." Rei said.

"Seriously kid, I literally have no idea what you're going on about." Nagata said, "How could there possibly be a person in that thing?"

"Because I can hear a voice!" Rei said.

"Well I can't hear anything other than the sound of my voice!" Nagata said.

"You-you can't hear it then?" Rei asked.

"That's what I've been trying to say!" Nagata said, "How could you be hearing a voice while I can't?!"

Rei looked at the capsule and back to Nagata.

_'Could I be the only one who's hearing that?' _Rei thought to himself, _'Is that why he can't hear it? Is it just me?'_

Suddenly, he felt a quick disturbance from behind him and turned around to see a Britannian soldier running right towards them. The soldier jumped off the ground, following up with a spin kick towards Nagata. Rei jumped right in front of Nagata. Suddenly, as if all of time was slowing down on him, he saw where that kick was going. He put his arm up, blocking the kick before following it up with a roundhouse kick. The kick hits the soldier's abdomen and knocks him off to the right. The soldier pushed his hand off the ground and got on his feet.

"Damn Britannian bloodhounds!" Nagata said before drawing out a firearm.

The soldier kicked the gun out Nagata's hand and knocked him to the ground. Rei quickly went for the gun without thinking and aimed it at the soldier. The soldier looked at the child rushed toward him. Rei fired the gun at close-range without a moments notice. The bullet breaks through the armor and hits the soldier's abdomen, causing the soldier to stagger before losing his balance and falling to the ground. Rei got away from the soldier and pointed the gun at the soldier.

"If I were you, I'd stay back!" Rei said, "I mean it! Stay back!"

The soldier went back a few steps and breathed in and out as he clenched the bullet wound. The soldier's gas mask comes off.

"You think what you're doing is right?!" The soldier spoke, "Hasn't there been enough deaths already for you?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Rei asked.

"Don't play dumb with me! You were gonna use the poison gas, weren't you?!" The soldier said.

Rei gritted his teeth, "That's not poison gas!"

"And why's that?!" The soldier asked.

"Because I hear a voice in it! There's someone in that capsule! I know it!" Rei said, "How can it be poison gas if I can hear someone's voice from inside that thing?!"

The soldier now felt confused by what Rei said.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I heard a voice in there! Somebody put a person in there and I want to know why!" Rei exclaimed, "Why is there a person in there?!"

"A person?" The soldier muttered, "Like hell there is! That thing is poison gas!"

"I'm telling you! It's not! I know it isn't because I can hear a voice from inside of it! It was calling out to someone! I swear it!" Rei exclaimed, "Why would anyone kill over this thing?! Why?!"

"An interesting question indeed!" A voice said from within the truck.

Rei turned to see a Britannian student walk out of the truck. His eyes were violet and his hair was short and black.

"And the answer to that is that it was made by Britannia!" The student said, "You want to end the bloodshed so bad? Then why don't you destroy Britannia?!"

"L-Lelouch?" The soldier asked.

He quickly reached for the back of his helmet and took the helmet off, revealing the face of a Japanese man with brown hair and green eyes. The student looked in surprise.

"Suzaku? What in the-? Why are you in the military?" The student asked.

_'Wait... they know each other?'_ Rei thought.

"I should be asking you the questions, not the other way around." The soldier whom the student called Suzaku said before he suddenly looked in a bit of shock, "Get away from that thing!"

The capsule suddenly began to open up, revealing a yellow light. The soldier quickly put the gas mask on the kid while the student covered his mouth and held his breath. The kid looked at the capsule and saw the figure of a girl beginning to reveal itself as the capsule opened like a flower petal. Nagata woke up and saw the girl inside.

_'A girl?'_ Nagata, the soldier, and the student thought.

_'So then the voice I heard really was the girl...'_ Rei thought.

The light scattered and the girl fell to the ground. Rei got up and quickly rushed to the girl. She had green hair and yellow eyes.

"See? What did I tell you? There wasn't any poison gas." Rei said.

"Your point?" Nagata asked.

"Well... I don't know how to explain this, but this all feels like... one big conspiracy. There's something about this that doesn't seem right." Rei said, "Why would they hide her existence? What made them want to keep her existence a secret? Why would anyone even want her?"

The soldier seemed all too confused about all of this. He scratched his head trying to piece things together. Nagata looked at the soldier and immediately recognized him.

"Wait a second... you're the Prime Minister's son!" Nagata said, "You're Suzaku Kururugi!"

"Yeah, that's me. I'm in the military, so what? What's it to you?" The soldier asked, "Aren't I Your enemy or something?"

"Goddamnit! You're the son of Genbu Kururugi! We already lost the Prime Minister, you want to throw your life away too?!" Nagata exclaimed.

"If it means making a change from within, so be it." The soldier said.

"What good is that if you aren't a leader?!" Nagata asked.

Suddenly, Rei felt a threatening presence behind him. He turned around, only for lights to suddenly flash on the group of five. The Britannian Royal Guard was here.

"You damn traitor! You snuffed us out!" Nagata said.

"Hold on a minute!" The soldier said.

"Number 404! What do you think you're doing conversing with the enemy?!" The captain of the royal guard exclaimed.

The soldier ran over to the captain.

"Sir, I was told it was poison gas! Why was a girl in there?!" The soldier asked.

"That's none of your concern, boy." The captain said, "I ought to have you killed for speaking to a member of the Royal Guard like that! But I'm feeling a bit generous today, so I'll give you one last chance for redemption for your actions today."

He handed out a gun to the soldier.

"Execute the terrorists and take the girl." The captain said.

_'Those bastards!'_ Nagata thought.

He suddenly remembered that he had a detonator hooked up to the truck and had a wireless detonator on him. He slowly reached for it. The boy got the girl out of the truck. He looked at the soldier as he looked back.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't follow those orders." The soldier said, "The least they deserve is a proper trial."

"Hmph. Fine then, be that way." The guardsman said before pointing the gun at the soldier and shot him at point-blank.

The soldier fell to the ground. Rei, quickly overcome with his own emotions pulled the gun he got from Nagata and shot the guardsman. Nagata fires up the detonator and the truck exploded into flames. Nagata quickly picks the kid up and runs with him. The student on the other hand got the girl and escaped. The guardsman clenched the bullet wound and stood up. He looked in anger.

"Find them! Find them and kill them! I want the girl captured alive! The rest are useless to us!" The guardsman said.

"Yes, my lord!" The other guardsmen said in unison.

* * *

**G-1 Base **

"What do you mean they got away?!" Bartley asked.

"I'm sorry my lord, I let my guard down and the explosion covered their escape. We'll-"

"You call yourselves the Royal Guard?! Why did you think I told **you** about this?!" Bartley exclaimed.

"Guess that means the plan moves to the next phase." Clovis said.

"But sire, that-"

"If knowledge of her existence gets out, I'll be disinherited." Clovis said, "The homeland we are carrying out a planned urban renewal here."

Clovis stood up on his feet.

"As 3rd Prince Of Britannia, I command you." Clovis said, "Destroy Shinjuku Ghetto, leave no one alive!"

And so, Knightmares were deployed from the G-1 as tanks and VTOLS were flying in. The destruction of Shinjuku has now commenced.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

As Nagata and Rei ran, Rei suddenly heard thousands of screams in his head. The kid stopped screamed in horror and pain. Nagata stopped and turned to the kid as the sound of explosions and gunfire went off.

"Kid?! What's wrong?!" Nagata asked.

"People... people are dying... I can hear their screaming... men, women and children..." Rei said as he fell on his knees, "Make it stop... make it stop!"

"Hey! I'm right here!" Nagata said.

"The screams! Make it stop! Make it stop! I want to hear them no more!" Rei exclaimed as he panicked and got on the floor, "Help me! Help me Nagata-San! Help me!"

"It's alright! I'm right here kid! I'll help you up!" Nagata said as he grabbed the kid's hand and made his way to the hideout,_ 'If only I had my communicator-!'_

Rei heard the screams as Nagata tried to help him. There were lots of screams and he didn't want to hear them. He covered his ears, but the screams wouldn't go away.

_'Someone! Anyone! Make it stop! Make the screaming go away!' _Rei thought, _'Somebody help me!'_

* * *

**Ashford Academy **

Lalah heard the screams of millions of people dying. She felt her head being stabbed by the horrid screams and the visions of death and destruction. She went against a wall and covered her ears, but still heard the screams. She breathed in and out, trying to stay calm. She began tuning out the screams and got off the wall. She began hearing a noise.

_"Somebody! Help me!" _The voice of a boy cried out in horror,_ "Make the screams go away!"_

_'This voice... I heard it once before!'_ Lalah thought.

_"Help me! Help me!" _The voice cried.

_'So it's him! It's the one from that dream! The one who spoke the word Geass!'_ Lalah thought.

She concentrated her thoughts. She closed her eyes and focused on the source of the voice. It was coming from Shinjuku Ghetto, the same place as the screams she heard. She focused on the voice alone. She focused her mind and pinpointed the origin of the voice.

_"Listen to the sound of my voice."_ Lalah said.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

_"Listen to the sound of my voice."_ A different female voice said.

The sound he heard from earlier came back. He suddenly stopped panicking and looked up. Nagata looked at the kid.

"What's wrong?" Nagata asked.

"I... hear someone... it's not the girl from earlier." Rei said.

"Ok seriously kid, I have no idea what you're going on about." Nagata sighed.

_"Listen to my voice very carefully,"_ the voice said,_ "Close your eyes and tell me with your own words, what is the one place where you feel at peace in?"_

He closed his eyes and began to think of a peaceful place. He found himself in a cave. The cave was silent, yet welcome. It felt cold, but also warm. There was darkness, but there was light. This light and warmth, it was coming from him. He felt himself to be in peace.

_'A cave... I feel safe within this cave. It is peaceful, yet quiet. Yes... this is where I feel myself at peace in.'_ Rei thought.

The screams began to subside and he felt himself in peace. He opened his eyes.

"What happened to you?" Nagata asked.

"I... heard a voice. It told me to think of a place that I feel peace in. The screams faded from there when I did just that." Rei said, "She sounded kind and gentle."

Nagata looked at the kid with a sense of wariness and suspicion.

_'Is he psychic? Would that explain everything he said? Now that I think about it. He was right when he said there was a girl in that capsule and he quickly reacted fast to that Honorary Brit that was coming at us before I even noticed him.' _Nagata thought, _'Does Naoto know something about him that I don't?'_

"I feel at peace now, let's find Naoto and the others!" Rei said.

"Oh! Uh... right." Nagata said.

* * *

**Ashford Academy **

Lalah looked out through the window in the halls. She was certainly positive that it was the one in her dream. It was the boy. She was sure of it.

'_It was him. I felt his mind in the midst of that chaos. Who is he?'_ Lalah thought.

"Lalah? What's wrong?" A voice asked.

Lalah turned to see a girl in a wheelchair with her eyes closed. Her hair was long and brown. She was wearing the same pink uniform Lalah was wearing.

"Nothing. Nothing is wrong." Lalah said, "How are you feeling Nunnally?"

"I'm great, how about you?" The girl said.

Lalah smiled, "I'm great."

"I see then. Later." Nunnally said as she wheeled past Lalah.

Lalah brought her phone out.

_'I must tell Captain Durandal about this!'_ Lalah thought.

She quickly dialed up a number on her phone and called it.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

Durandal picked up the phone after he got out from his shower and heard the phone ring. He had a towel around his waist.

"Yes?" Durandal asked.

"Captain, it's me, Lalah." A voice said.

"Lalah? Shouldn't you be in class right now?" Durandal asked.

"Yes, but I have something urgent to tell you." Lalah said, "That boy from my dream, he's in Shinjuku."

_'Shinjuku? I see... it all comes together.'_ Durandal thought.

He cocked a smirk.

"I'll be there as soon as possible then. But first, I have to make a call to Clovis very quickly." Durandal said.

"Yes captain, very well then." Lalah said before hanging up.

Durandal began dialing up Clovis's number.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Clovis's phone began ring. He looked to see who was calling him. It was Durandal. He answered it and held it to his ear.

"Clovis old friend, did you happen to find out where our little rabbit is?" Durandal asked.

"Not now, I have a planned urban renewal to carry out here." Clovis said.

"An urban renewal plan? And I wasn't filled in? Clovis, what is this treachery?" Durandal asked, "Oh wait a second... this is about that girl, isn't it?"

Clovis scowled at Durandal's remark.

"Yes, it is." Clovis said.

"Did the Terrorists run off with her and now you've decided to burn their hideout to the ground?" Durandal asked.

"Not funny." Clovis said.

"Now now old friend, I would like to help you, but you'll have to come clean to me. You wouldn't want anyone else to know, now would you?" Durandal asked.

"Look, I'll give you details later, right now I have to focus on what I am doing." Clovis said.

"Right then old friend. I'll leave you be." Durandal said before he hung up.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

He put the phone down.

"Schnee, Ledo?" Durandal called.

"Yes Captain?" Schnee Hexenhaus said as he came in along with Ledo Offen.

"You called?" Ledo asked.

"We head off to Shinjuku. It's time we go rabbit hunting." Durandal said.

"Rabbit hunting, sir?" Schnee asked, "I'm sorry, I never actually hunted a rabbit before and I've actually never hunted-"

"Sorry, I was being figurative. What I meant to say was that we're hunting down our escapee from a few nights ago." Durandal said.

"The one with the white hair that made off with that White Glasgow?" Ledo asked.

"The very same." Durandal said, "Deploy yourselves accordingly upon reaching the Ghetto and hold your positions. Message me if the White Glasgow shows up. If he does, observe him. You are not allowed to engage the Glasgow, as I want combat data from it."

"So we just wait till he shows up and just watch him?" Ledo asked, "That seems boring."

"Boring as it sounds, we have no choice. Prince Schneizel wants as much data as possible. That means we can't afford the Glasgow to go down until we've collected all the necessary data we need." Durandal said, "And should the ASEEC's special weapon make it to the battlefield, message me."

"Why sir?" Schnee asked.

"Because, like I said, we need combat data. You are only to observe." Durandal said, "Should the Glasgow come out victorious, that is when I'll jump in. If not... well, capture it."

"And what will you be doing sir?" Schnee asked.

"I'll be hovering above in my Gloucester, watching from above." Durandal said, "If anyone tries to interfere with the confrontation between the Glasgow and the ASEEC's special weapon, you are free to fire at will until the interference is either eliminated or forced back."

"Anything else Captain?" Ledo asked.

"No. That is all." Durandal said, "You have your order, now go."

"Yes, my lord!" Schnee and Ledo said with a salute.

They left Durandal's room. Durandal quickly got into his military uniform and put his mask on.

"So then little rabbit, what will you do?" Durandal pondered to himself.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Rei and Nagata managed to regroup with Naoto and the others by a train that had stopped here. Nagata quickly explained what was going on. As he explained everything to Naoto, Inoue went and fixed up Nagata's arm. Ohgi explained why everyone was gathered here. Upon hearing everything from Nagata and Rei, he seemed crossed.

"So we busted our asses only to steal some broad?" Naoto asked, "Damn... now I wished I never opened that can of worms."

"It wasn't your fault, the Brits covered her entire existence up. They didn't want anyone to know about her." Kallen said, "If anything, they should have just left her alone instead of toying with her like some guinea pig."

"I know, but still... if I hadn't gone after that stupid rumor, none of this would be happening." Naoto said, "Damnit all to hell... Even the kid got mixed up in this."

Rei looked at the blue Glasgow that kneeled.

"Naoto-san..." Rei said.

"I didn't want to tell you all about the resistance Rei. I didn't want you to know about all of this!" Naoto exclaimed, "It's all because of me that now you're involved in this! It's because of me that now your life is at stake here along with everyone in the Ghetto!"

"Naoto-san..." Rei said with as much grief as Naoto had, "That voice, he said we could turn this around, right?"

"Yeah... he said our key to victory was in here, so lets open her up." Naoto said.

He moved his blue Glasgow over to the train and opened the doors. Inside it were a bunch of Sutherlands.

"What the hell?" Naoto muttered before smiling, "Alright you numskulls, we are turning the tide of this battle to our favor!"

"Huh?" Tamaki muttered.

"We got ourselves some Sutherlands! Make use of them and every weapon on board!" Naoto said, "Nagata, get the kid to the hideout, it's time we get Player 3 into this!"

"You don't mean-!" Nagata paused for a second, "Alright then. You can count on me."

"What does he mean?" Rei asked.

"You'll know soon enough, now come on!" Nagata said.

"Right!" Rei said as he and Nagata headed for the hideout, "Be safe out there Naoto-san!"

"I will!" Naoto said, "Come on you idiots! You wanna live forever?!"

"YEAH!" The others said as they began getting the Sutherlands out.

* * *

**Resistance Hideout **

Nagata and Rei enter the hideout through a secret passage Nagata knew of. They made it safe and sound and headed for the makeshift hangar down below. They reached The hangar and found a white Glasgow sitting there. It had blue shoulder pads.

"A White Glasgow?" Rei asked.

"He found it the same day he found you. It's strange, but it's no coincidence." Nagata said.

As Rei looked at the Glasgow, he felt like he had piloted it before.

"I... I think I must have piloted when I came here." Rei said.

"Huh?" Nagata asked.

"Yeah, I... I remember now!" Rei said.

"Remember what?" Nagata asked.

"I remember how to operate it!" Rei said, "I know how to get it to work!"

"You can operate that thing?!" Nagata asked, "You are loaded with surprises, aren't you?"

"That's right!" Rei said, "Wait, Where's the-"

Nagata gave Rei the activation key.

"He told me to hold onto it." Nagata said.

Rei went over to the Glasgow and pressed a button on the key. The hatch opened up and the chair slid out. The wire came down from the chair. He got on the wire and went up to the chair and got inside the Glasgow. He put the key in the Glasgow and started it up.

_'I'll do it! I'll end this pointless bloodbath here and now!' _Rei thought.

The Glasgow's eyes lit up. The Glasgow's landspinners came down. Nagata got on the Glasgow's shoulder.

"Rei, Glasgow, heading out!" Rei said as he pushed the sticks forward.

The wheels screeched as the Glasgow headed out of the makeshift hangar.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Schnee's custom Sutherland was perched up on a building while Ledo's custom Sutherland was next to Schnee's Sutherland. Schnee's Sutherland was customized for long-range combat, hence the Anti-Knightmare Rifle and its HPAS or High Precision Aiming System mounted underneath the cockpit block. It is like a helmet that fits the Sutherland's head that has an antenna on it. It helps Schnee aim better from long range with a zoom magnification scope on the right shoulder and a targeting scope on the right. Right now, the system was on.

Ledo's Sutherland was customized for close-range combat as opposed to Schnee's Sutherland. His Sutherland uses a test-type Blaze Luminous shield generator on its left arm and an assault rifle with a bayonet attached.

They were acting under Durandal's orders and awaited for the White Glasgow to appear. Ledo seemed impatient.

"Jeez, When is he gonna show up?" Ledo asked.

"Wait a minute Ledo, it will show up. I know it." Schnee said.

He looked through his targeting scope and saw something moving.

"Wait, I see something moving in from the back of the Ghetto." Schnee said.

"Is it him?" Ledo asked.

"Well..." Schnee paused.

He zoomed in a bit before he caught a glimpse of the White Glasgow.

"There! There he is! The White Glasgow is here!" Schnee said.

"Already?!" Ledo asked.

"Yes! I'm messaging the Captain now!" Schnee said as he disengaged the scope.

* * *

**Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement **

In the hangar bay, Durandal's signature red-gold Gloucester was being ready for deployment. It had Sattel Waffen missile launchers mounted on the sides of the cockpit block. It had a jousting lance and a machine gun attached to the back of the Knightmare. It had a cape on its shoulders. Durandal's Gloucester was modified to go at three times the speed of a Knightmare, giving it tremendous speed. He was known as the Red Comet for his speed and efficiency on the battle as he had laid waste to five Knightmare squads with relative ease.

"Sir! A message from Schnee!" A soldier said as he came in.

"What does it say?" Durandal asked as he turned to the soldier.

"It says the little rabbit has come out." The soldier said, "I don't know what that means but-"

"Good, carry on." Durandal said.

"But sir, I-"

"I said carry on." Durandal said.

The soldier left. Durandal smiles.

"So you are there." Durandal said, "I've found you at last little rabbit."


	3. Chapter 2: The Battle for Shinjuku

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to CLAMP and Studio Sunrise. Please support the official release of this fanfic. Don't forget to leave a review and follow!**

**Chapter 2: The Battle of Shinjuku **

Two Sutherlands were moving along in the streets, ordered to strike an enemy that had been sighted in their sector. They moved without hesitation. Suddenly, bullets came through the walls as Sutherlands occupied by the resistance cell members opened fire upon them. The Sutherlands were scrapped as they were torn to pieces and exploded due to the damage on their yggdrasil drives.

"We got them!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Just like he said, they came right to us!" Sugiyama said.

"Alright!" Yoshida exclaimed.

"Don't rest just yet! We still got a lot more where that came from!" Naoto said, "Kallen, Rei!"

"Right!" Kallen and Rei said.

The three Glasgows split up. Naoto guns down a Sutherland with an assault rifle in his hands. Another Sutherland comes out and starts shooting. Naoto quickly dodges the bullets and quickly turns around to gun down the Sutherland.

"Is that all they got?" Naoto asked.

Kallen's Glasgow climbs up a building and rushes toward a Sutherland. The Sutherland turns around, only for the red Glasgow to knock it down. The pilot of the Sutherland ejects his cockpit block and retreats. She turned to a VTOL and shot it down with a slash harken.

Rei's Glasgow was holding a giant cannon bazooka. His senses suddenly picked up threats coming towards him. He sees 2 enemy Sutherlands closing in on him from the front. He felt the presence of 2 more coming from the rear. He quickly aimed the cannon at one Sutherland and fired. The Sutherlands split up. Rei focused on the one to the left and fired a bit farther from it. The round hits the Sutherland in the chest, exploding and killing the pilot.

_'That's one!'_Rei thought.

He quickly jumped and aimed for the Sutherland to the right and fired. The round hits the Sutherland's leg, demolishing it and causing it to trip. The pilot ejected from his unit.

_'That's two!'_Rei thought before quickly dodging incoming gunfire from the Sutherlands that were on his rear.

He fired two shots at the two Sutherlands, both shots hitting their heads and forcing the pilots to eject.

_'That's four!'_ Rei thought, _'I can see and feel their movements! I can do it! I can defeat them!'_

* * *

**Elsewhere in Shinjuku**

Lelouch was in a Sutherland he stole that he had perched on a tall bombed out building. He wasn't sure it was stable, but ever since he got up here, the floor has been holding him up nicely. He issued commands to the resistance cell as he watched the map on his Sutherland. He noticed that four Sutherlands were wiped out where K-2 was.

_'Four Sutherlands downed by a single Glasgow? He seems special.' _Lelouch thought, _'He would make an incredible ace pilot along with K-1 and Q-1.'_

He noticed a pair of blue IFF signals in the encirclement that seemed distant from the main force. The way they were positioned didn't seem normal. They were just by the rear line of the encirclement and were doing nothing. It didn't look like they were a reserve unit. Even if they were, they wouldn't be this far away from the battlefield without an entire squad behind them.

_'Who are they and why are they just standing there?'_Lelouch thought, _'Are they with the Secret Intelligence Service Agency? Or are they just mercenaries my brother hired in secret?'_

It didn't matter to him. They weren't a threat to him. All that matters now is decimating the enemy force with efficiency and accuracy with brute strength and cunning intelligence. He began instructing the resistance cell with a new string of orders.

* * *

**Rear Line**

Ledo And Schnee watched as the chaos went on. Schnee seemed almost surprised by how the white Glasgow had shot down four Sutherlands without so much as a sweat.

'_Four Sutherlands downed by a Glasgow... no wonder the captain wanted combat data. He must have seen the potential within the pilot of the white Glasgow.' Schnee thought, 'From what the captain told me, the pilot of that Glasgow had abilities that made would make him stand out from any other ace pilot. Still, it's only an old model. Even with those skills, a machine has its own limits.'_

"Man, I can't believe we have to sit here and do nothing while they get all the action." Ledo said, "I mean, we're soldiers too. We should be fighting in there. It's our duty."

"I understand that Ledo. But the captain's orders are top priority." Schnee said.

"But we're Knights! Majors who were promoted four ranks above everyone else! Don't we technically outrank him?" Ledo asked, "Besides, we don't even operate within the standard military hierarchy. We're the elite!"

"But Prince Schneizel ordered us to be under captain Durandal's command, so what he says has as much authority as Prince Schneizel's orders." Schnee said, "Whether we are or aren't in the hierarchy of the military, our orders must be carried out to the letter."

Ledo sighed, "You are no fun."

A thought soon came to Ledo's mind. There was something on his mind that slipped into him.

"Actually... how special is the 'little rabbit' the captain talks about?" Ledo asked.

"Well... from what the captain told me, he stands out from being your average ace pilot." Schnee said, "His skills are much like an ace pilot, but not entirely so."

"Like what?" Ledo asked.

"Like..." Schnee paused, "Well he said the 'little rabbit' was capable of pushing a Knightmare Frame to its true potential, much like the captain and some Knights, and even Princess Cornelia li Britannia, but not in the way a regular ace could do it. It was... more so on instinct than thought."

"So he's like a wild animal is what you're saying." Ledo said with a frown, "You're not going to-"

"No no. The captain said he wasn't an Eleven, he was only half from what I heard." Schnee said, "I'm fine with anyone that isn't a Number. If he has Britannian blood in him, there's no shame in being friendly with him."

"But if he **was** a Number, you'd just treat him the way your family wants you to treat other Numbers." Ledo said with a frown.

"Look, my family-! Ugh, let's just focus on the task at hand." Schnee said.

Ledo looked with a bit of a saddened face.

"You could try having more faith in yourself." Ledo said, "You wouldn't to see Lalah without any faith."

"H-Hey!" Schnee exclaimed as his cheeks flushed, "You said you wouldn't bring that up!"

"Alright, I hear you." Ledo said.

* * *

**G-1 Base **

There was chaos in the bridge. The officers were scrambling to find a solution to the predicament that was the changing tide of the battle itself. Clovis was getting angry from what he was hearing and seeing.

_'Where the hell is Durandal? If he were here...'_ Clovis thought to himself, _'If he were here he'd end this right now!'_

"Change our codes! They are intercepting our transmissions!" Bartley ordered.

"We did that four times sir!" One staff officer said.

"Then do it again!" Bartley exclaimed.

A video transmission came in with an eccentric Lloyd Asplund on the monitor.

"Why hello there gentlemen!" Lloyd said.

"Now isn't the time for this! We are in the middle of an operation!" Bartley yelled.

"You know, you could deploy the ASEEC's special weapon. It'll get the job done faster!" Lloyd said.

Bartley cuts the video transmission and looked at the map. Clovis got up from his throne with anger in his eyes.

"This is unacceptable!" Clovis exclaimed.

"F-Forgive me my lord!" Bartley said.

"Sir Glaube ejected! His unit has been lost!" Another staff officer said.

"Alright then, send Quincy's squad in." Clovis said.

Bartley looked shocked from hearing those orders. If they were done, the encirclement would-!

"The encirclement will collapse if we do that!" Bartley said.

"I don't care about that anymore." Clovis said, "Durandal's probably sitting on his ass while I'm here being made a mockery out of by a group of Elevens!"

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

_'They got only five options, what will it be?'_ Lelouch thought, "Q-1, You have a map of the Ghetto?"

"Yes, but there aren't any landmarks." Q-1 said.

"Good, I have a plan." Lelouch said.

* * *

**Rear Line**

Ledo saw the encirclement formation being broken off with some of the units guarding the G-1 moving to hold the encirclement.

"What the hell are they doing?" Ledo asked, "They're breaking formation!"

"Tch! If captain Durandal were here, he'd do a much better job than-"

A transmission was coming in. Durandal showed up on a live video feed on both Ledo and Schnee's machines.

"Schnee, Ledo, switch over to a private channel and set your frequency to my frequency." Durandal said.

"Right!" Schnee and Ledo said as they switched channels and set their frequencies to Durandal's.

"Good, now we can speak freely." Durandal said.

"What is it my lord?" Schnee asked.

"Yeah boss man? What is it?" Ledo asked.

"My unit has taken off on a transport headed here." Durandal said, "I should be there in a few minutes. Give me a sitrep."

"Well, Clovis is ordering his men to-"

"Forget about Clovis, what about our rabbit?" Durandal asked.

"He's still at large and— Wait a second. He just went underground." Ledo said.

"Underground?" Durandal asked, "And the terrorists?"

"They've gone in before him and the ones that didn't are going in after him." Schnee said.

Durandal rubbed his chin.

"I see. Should the situation change, inform me at once." Durandal said.

"Yes Captain!" Ledo said.

"Yes, my lord!" Schnee said.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

The Britannian Sutherlands arrived at their designated point, but they all ran into each other and stopped. They looked around, trying to see where the terrorists went. The ground suddenly quaked and the ground began to collapse beneath them. As they fell on top of each other, they were getting crushed by the debris that was swallowing them whole.

Below them, the resistance cell was getting away from the falling rubble. Naoto smirked as the group kept going.

_'Idiots. They couldn't even tell they were flying right into a trap. Guess Clovis wasn't meant to be a commander. I feel sorry for his lack of tactical prowess.' _Naoto thought, _'Hope that serves as a lesson for him about how war is done! You don't win by strength in numbers! War is more about knowledge! Without knowing who your enemy is, his weaknesses, his strengths, or the playing field you stand on, you don't stand a chance.'_

* * *

**Rear Line**

Schnee and Ledo looked in shock as they saw the IFF's of the men that went in say 'LOST' as a red circle expands.

"All those men... they're all wiped out." Schnee said, "Only someone as tactically impressive as Prince Schneizel or Captain Durandal can do this."

"They're leader must be insane to pull that off! It's like Istukushima all over!" Ledo exclaimed, "They just wiped out a legions worth of Knightmares!"

Durandal looked in the cockpit of his Gloucester that was being carried by a transport VTOL. He smirked as he looked at the map.

_'Poor Clovis, he must be going mad by now.' _Durandal thought, _'No one ever told him who he was up against.'_

"Captain Durandal, we are approaching the target area." The pilot said.

"Good, circle around the Ghetto." Durandal said, "Wait for my orders to drop me."

"Yes Captain." The pilot said as the VTOL was going into a circling pattern around the Ghetto.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Clovis was in shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe who he was fighting. This man, whoever he was, just wiped out the entire attack force that went in. It was all a trap! It was all a goddamned trap! This man couldn't be non other than Todoh? No... what if he was even better than Todoh?!

"Lloyd!" Clovis cries out.

"Yes?" Lloyd asked as he showed up on screen.

"Can it win? Can it make the impossible possible?" Clovis asked.

Lloyd smiled with glee.

"Why yes, my Lancelot can. In fact, we already have the pilot for it on standby." Lloyd said.

"Good." Clovis said, "I want that thing out there now!"

"It shall be done your highness!" Lloyd said with glee and a maniacal laughter before he disappeared from the screen.

* * *

**Rear Line**

Ledo looked at the G-1 and notice a trailer moving out in front of it and saw it turn around.

"Hey, Schnee, is that what I think that is?" Ledo asked.

"Hm?" Schnee said as he turned his Sutherland to face the G-1 and to see the trailer, "What do you think that is?"

"I don't know, but I have the feeling that's what the captain meant by the ASEEC's special weapon." Ledo said.

"It is?!" Schnee exclaimed, _'So it's being deployed now of all times?!'_

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

Suzaku was wearing a white pilot suit that calibrated itself to his body. He put the communicator on his right ear and held the key in his hand and got outside the trailer.

"So you read the manual?" A female voice asked.

"Yes. All of it." Suzaku said as the trailer's hatch began to open.

The hatch opened up as a Knightmare cloaked behind a black cover that was held in place was coming out. The clamps surrounding the Knightmare came off and revealed a white-gold Knightmare Frame with two green eyes.

"Is that it?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes. The Z-01 Lancelot. The world's first 7th Generation Knightmare Frame." The female said, "The first of its kind. It doesn't have an ejection system installed yet, so be careful with it."

"And whatever you do, don't lose that head of yours~!" Lloyd said, "I'm serious though. Don't."

"I won't. Besides, I did well in the simulation, didn't I?" Suzaku asked, "There's nothing to worry about."

He went up to the cockpit as the hatch opened. The chair slid out and he got on it. The chair slid back in and the hatch closed and locked itself. He placed the key in and started the Lancelot up. The eyes lit up as all systems were coming online. The cables came off. He gripped the control sticks in his hands.

* * *

**Rear Line**

Schnee reported to Durandal about the current situation.

"I see then. Keep a look out on the Knightmare and the Glasgow. I want as much combat data as possible. Remember, you're only observing." Durandal said.

"Yes Captain." Schnee said.

Durandal cuts the transmission and looked at the ground below. He smirked.

_'Now little rabbit, just how will you fair against a superior Knightmare frame?' _Durandal thought _'This ought to bring out your best. Don't fail in impressing me.'_

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

The Lancelot's landspinners came down and it took up a launch position.

"M.E. Boost!" Suzaku said as he engaged the M.E. Boost.

The landspinners screeched as they grind on the ground.

"Lancelot, now launching!" The female voice said.

"Launching!" Suzaku said as he pushed forward.

The Lancelot sped out. Lloyd laughed as he and his assistant, Cecile Croomy, felt the breeze from the Lancelot's launch.

"He's going straight for the gold!" Lloyd said.

* * *

**Rear Line**

"By the Emperor!" Schnee exclaimed.

"He sure got out fast!" Ledo said, "That's way faster than a Gloucester!"

Durandal looked in surprised.

_'My my, He's fast. But can he move three times faster than an ordinary Knightmare?'_ Durandal thought.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Rei felt a sharp warning coming to him. He turned to that direction. Naoto and Kallen looked surprised.

"What is it kid?" Naoto asked.

"There's something heading right towards us... it's fast!" Rei said.

"How fast?" Naoto asked, "We're not fighting Gloucesters, are we?"

"Correction K-1, that's a new model." The voice said.

"A new model?! You can't be serious!" Naoto said with a look of disbelief, "They couldn't have made something superior to the Gloucester!"

"No, it's speed is superior to the Gloucester. It may be just one unit, but be careful, we don't know what it's capable of." The voice said, "Fall back for now. It's best we avoid confronting it now."

"Damn..." Naoto said, "A new model and we don't even know what it is?"

"The IFF reads Lancelot. Maybe that's the name of the unit. Pull back." The voice said.

"R-right, we'll-"

Rei sped off without the others.

"Kid! Where are you going?!" Naoto asked, "Get back here damnit!"

"I'll be decoy! You just set up an ambush spot and I'll lure him right over here!" Rei said.

"Are crazy?! He said it was a new model! You'll get ripped to shreds!" Naoto said.

"Naoto's right! Come back!" Kallen said.

"No, let K-2 handle this." The voice said.

"What?!" Naoto asked, "You're ok with this?!"

"He's doing it so we have time to plot out an ambush strategy. He'll give us intel and we'll use it to our advantage. As long as he doesn't directly fight that unit, he'll be fine." The voice said.

Naoto growled as he heard the voice say that took it into consideration.

"Alright you idiots! You better be prepared when that new model gets here! Pump him full of lead! Don't even think about stopping for a second, you hear me?!" Naoto exclaimed, "If one of you let's up, you don't have a right to be fighting alongside me, got it?!"

"R-right!" The resistance cell members said.

Rei kept going until he saw the Lancelot in front of him.

_'So that's the new model then?'_ Rei thought, _'Here goes nothing!'_

Suzaku seemed surprised as the Glasgow came right at him.

_'One unit? Why did they send one unit? Is he the leader or is he just a decoy?'_ Suzaku thought, _'It doesn't matter what he is, I'll put a stop to this pointless violence.'_

The Glasgow aimed at the Lancelot and fired a few shots at it. The Lancelot brought its arms up as a green energy shield popped up. The shells hit the shield and explode on impact. The Lancelot pushed through it and turned the shield off. Amanda looked shocked.

"An energy shield? Now that's something!" Amanda said to herself before looking to see the white Glasgow, "And Jack's here!"

She turned and started taking pictures of the Glasgow.

_'An energy shield... I can't get through it with this cannon.' _Rei thought, "Guys, it has a energy shield. No bullet is going to get through it."

"What?!" Naoto exclaimed.

"Wait Seriously?!" Ohgi exclaimed.

"Fall back K-2, you're getting too close!" The voice ordered.

"No! If I don't close the distance, I won't be able to get a shot at point blank!" Rei said, "He wants me to retreat! I got to stay on the offensive!"

He roared as he charged at the Lancelot and fired a few more shots. The Lancelot puts it shield up and blocks the shots. The Lancelot readied its arm mounted harkens at the Glasgow. Rei suddenly saw an image of a harken coming at him.

_'It's coming!'_ Rei thought.

The harken was fired and he quickly dodged it. Suzaku looked surprised.

"He dodged it?" Suzaku said as he fired the other arm mounted slash harken.

Rei saw the harkens path and rolled out of the way. The harken missed. The slash harkens reeled back in.

_'He dodged them both? Who is he?'_ Suzaku thought.

_'I... saw them. I saw them coming at me...'_ Rei thought, _'If I can drag this out long enough, I might know how to beat him.'_

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

"Lloyd, did you catch-"

"Yes, I did." Lloyd said nonchalantly, "It wasn't that special. He only dodged a pair of slash harkens. It's not like he's ace or anything."

"Don't you feel a little bit of concern about all of this?" Cecile asked.

"Hm... nope!" Lloyd said, "Now if you excuse me, I need to eat my pudding."

He got a cup of pudding out and started eating.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

The Lancelot jumped into the air and began to spin. Rei felt the attack coming at him. He quickly ducked out of the way, dodging the kick. He smacks the Lancelot with the cannon in its hand. The Lancelot was knocked back from the hit and was headed straight towards the ground. The Lancelot pushed itself off the ground and landed on its feet on the roof of a building.

_'He dodged and countered that?! That was my best kick and he dodged and countered it easily!'_ Suzaku thought, _'He's not playing around. It couldn't have been a fluke either. This guy... he's got to be an ace!'_

He fired his slash harken at the Glasgow. The Glasgow quickly jumped back from the harken and got on top of building. He fired another harken at the Glasgow. The Glasgow jumped to the side and fired another shot. The Lancelot blocked the shot with its shield.

* * *

**Rear Line**

Schnee and Ledo watched as the battle went on.

"Impressive! He's holding up!" Ledo said, "He could actually give the captain a run for his money!"

"Tch. It's probably just a fluke. There's no way an Eleven and Glasgow can accomplish these things easily." Schnee said.

"I'm putting my money on him!" Ledo said, "200 thousand pounds says the Glasgow wins!"

"We're not here to-! Ugh... fine. You're on." Schnee said, "I hope you're ready for the consequences of gambling."

"Oh yeah? Fine, double or nothing!" Ledo said.

"Oh dear..." Schnee said as he covered his face with his hand, "I really hope you have the money to cover that."

* * *

**G-1 Base**

_'Who does this Eleven think he is?! He thinks he has a chance against my brother's toy?! He'll get ripped apart!'_ Clovis thought, _'Even if he is skilled or is just pulling a damn fluke, there is no way in hell he can best the Lancelot like that!'_

The staff officers looked in awe as Bartley was wiping the sweat of his brow.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

"K-2! That's enough! You want to die?!" Lelouch yelled.

"He's too dangerous!" K-2 said, "I'm the only one who can take him on!"

"And what makes you say that?!" Lelouch said in anger.

"I don't know how to explain it— whoa! But I can feel and see his movements!" K-2 said, "I know I can! Even if it is a new model, the path is still open to me!"

"You'll die! Don't you understand that part?!" Lelouch said.

"I can do it! You just need faith in me!" K-2 said, "What's the point of leading if you don't have faith in others?!"

Those words suddenly stung Lelouch's heart. He suddenly felt a conflict within him. He couldn't speak for a few seconds. He paused from hearing those words.

_'Faith in others?'_ Lelouch thought, "What do you mean?"

"How is someone suppose to trust someone who doesn't have any faith in them?! What kind of leader is that?!" K-2 asked, "Naoto and the others put their faith in you! Shouldn't you be doing the same?!"

Lelouch felt taken aback from what K-2 said. He then looked at the king chess piece he was holding.

_'That's right... a king needs not only his subjects, but he also needs their faith in him... I see... If they have faith in me, I must show that I have faith in them. The skills of others may be different than mine, but they have skills that I need from them in order for me to shape the world into the one Nunnally wants, a gentler world.'_ Lelouch thought, _'I see... you want me to put my faith in you then? Is that all? If that's the case...'_

He cleared his throat.

"Can you win?" Lelouch asked.

"Huh?" K-2 asked.

"I said, can you win? Can you pull of a miracle as I have done once before?" Lelouch asked, "Can you make the impossible possible with your two hands?"

"Yes sir!" K-2 said.

_'Then I guess I have no other choice.'_ Lelouch thought with a grin, "Then win! Pull off the rest of the miracle that I have brought you! Win K-2! You have my faith in you!"

"Thank you!" K-2 said.

The Lancelot went for an ace kick. Rei blocked the kick with the cannon. The kick was so strong, the cannon's barrel broke.

_'Now!'_ Rei thought as he pushed back.

The Lancelot was pushed back and fired a slash harken. The Glasgow threw the cannon at the Lancelot. The harken hits the cannon, causing it to detonate. Suzaku was surprised by the explosion and activated the factspheres in the Lancelot's chest. The spheres came out and started looking in different directions. There was nothing in front of Suzaku. The thermal imaging found nothing.

_'He disappeared?!'_ Suzaku thought.

He turned around to see the Glasgow coming at him from behind.

_'He was coming at me from behind?!' _Suzaku thought.

Rei roared as he charged in. The Glasgow had closed the distance and got up close to the Lancelot.

_'Damnit! He's too close!'_ Suzaku thought.

"Got you now!" Rei roared as he threw a punch on the Lancelot.

He quickly grabbed the Lancelot and held it around the waist.

"Damnit!" Suzaku cursed as he tried to get out of the hold.

"You're not going anywhere!" Rei said.

The Glasgow grabs the Lancelot's head and throws it over its back. The Lancelot hits the ground and rolls out on its back and landed on its face.

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

"He just threw the Lancelot!" Cecile exclaimed.

"Say What?!" Lloyd said as he accidentally knocked his pudding over.

The pudding fell and hit the floor. Lloyd turns to see his pudding on the floor.

"MY PUDDING! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Forget the pudding! I'll buy you some after this is over!" Cecile said, "Suzaku! Are you alright?!"

Lloyd mourned his pudding that fell on the floor as tears came from his eyes.

"I'll never forget your sacrifice, my beloved food." Lloyd said with a salute before suddenly looking happy again, "So what was that about my Lancelot again?"

"It getting thrown over by a Glasgow!" Cecile said.

Lloyd paused as his face became an expression of confusion.

"Thrown you say?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, That-"

Lloyd's eyes shrunk as he was beginning to look crossed.

"Oh... so that's how it is." Lloyd said, "That son of a bitch."

"Um... Lloyd?" Cecile asked, now looking scared.

"Yes~?" Lloyd asked all cheerfully with a smile.

"N-Nothing..." Cecile said as she looked at the console.

* * *

**Rear Line**

The two looked surprised from what they've seen.

"So what was that about it being a fluke?" Ledo asked.

"I... it's definitely a fluke! There's no way he can be outdoing the Lancelot! Not by some Eleven!" Schnee said.

"I'm hearing denial in that voice of yours." Ledo said, "Scared that he might be better than the captain?"

"How dare you! Alright, that's it! Triple or nothing says he—!" Schnee said.

He quickly covered his mouth.

"Did you just say triple or nothing?" Ledo asked.

"I-I didn't say anything!" Schnee said.

"Both of you, focus on the task at hand." Durandal said.

"Yes Captain!" The two boys said.

_'Nice going little rabbit, now you're getting the hang of it.'_ Durandal thought, _'You must overpower your enemy with cunning. If your opponent can't do what's necessary to win, he'll lose.'_

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Lelouch was surprised from what he saw from up high.

_'Of course... how could I have forgotten? The most vital aspect of war is the human one.' _Lelouch thought as he looked at the white Glasgow from where he was, _'I was wrong to believe that all I had to do was show you all that I can give you a miracle to gain your trust, now I see that I need to put my faith in you and everyone else. Thank you, K-2.'_

Suzaku got back up and saw the Glasgow coming at him. He quickly dodged an incoming punch. He kicked the Glasgow to the right, knocking it off to the right. The Glasgow fell down and skidded across the ground.

_'This guy... just who is he?!'_ Suzaku thought.

Rei quickly got the Glasgow up on its feet. He hit his head from the fall and was bleeding from the head. He panted as he looked at the Lancelot.

_'I won't lose here... I can't!' _Rei thought.

"Kid! We're set! Lure him over to us!" Naoto said.

Rei quickly turned the Glasgow and was headed for a point on the map. Suzaku gave chase.

"You're not leaving!" Suzaku said as he fired a slash harken from his arm.

Rei dodged the incoming harken. He kept going towards the point in his map. Suzaku was getting more frustrated with this game of cat and mouse. Suzaku fired the slash harkens at the Glasgow, but it dodged them just fine. The harkens came back and the Lancelot jumped over the Glasgow to get in front of it.

_'You're not going anywhere!'_ Suzaku thought.

The Lancelot kicked the Glasgow to the right, knocking it into a building. Rei got back up and jumped at the Lancelot, knocking it over and getting on top of it. The Glasgow began to beat the Lancelot with its fists. The Lancelot took a few punches before catching the Glasgow's hands and pushed back. The Glasgow got away from the Lancelot. Rei headed for the point on the map with the Lancelot hot on his tail.

_'That's it! Keep following me!'_ Rei thought.

The resistance cell Sutherlands were waiting for the white Glasgow and the Lancelot that was after him. Naoto could see Rei's Glasgow with the Lancelot hot on him.

"Steady now..." Naoto said, "Steady..."

The Sutherlands reached for the chaos mines they pulled from their hips.

"Ready..." Naoto said.

Rei's Glasgow stops at the point and dodged a kick from the Lancelot.

"Now!" Naoto said.

The Sutherlands tossed up their chaos mines. The casings opened up to reveal shrapnel that was ready to go. The mines began spinning up.

"Get back kid!" Naoto said.

Rei got back as Suzaku got the shields up. The mines started shooting shrapnel at the Lancelot with only its shields to stop the shrapnel. The shrapnel was deflecting off the shield.

* * *

**Rear Line**

"Schnee!" Ledo said.

"I know!" Schnee said as he fired his rifle at the chaos mines and corrected his aim with each shot.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

A chaos mine was shot down. Then another one went down. Naoto handed the white Glasgow a lance.

"Finish it in one hit!" Naoto said.

"Right!" Rei said.

Rei charged right in at the Lancelot. Suzaku saw the Glasgow coming at him with the lance. The mines soon ran out of shrapnel and fell to the ground.

_'Now!' _Suzaku thought as he was about to jump back.

_'I see it!'_ Rei thought, "There!"

The Lancelot jumped into the air, but the Glasgow jumped just before it could and got on top of it. The Glasgow goes for the finishing blow.

"This the end!" Rei said.

_'Damnit!'_ Suzaku thought as he puts up the shield.

The shields stopped the lance. Rei kept it going as he roared. Suzaku pushes back as hard as he could to keep the lance from getting any closer. Rei suddenly felt another threat coming, only from above this time.

Durandal ordered the pilot to drop him over to where the Lancelot was. The pilot was flying over the Lancelot and dropped the Gloucester. The Gloucester used its slash harkens to reach the ground safely. The Glasgow quickly got off the Lancelot before Durandal fired the missiles. The Glasgow evaded the incoming missiles, but one of them got its left arm. Durandal ditches the Sattle Waffens and fired into the buildings, forcing the resistance cell Sutherlands out into the open.

_'So that's the ASEEC's weapon... the little rabbit sure put the pilot on edge.'_ Durandal thought, "You there, in the white Knightmare, what's your name and rank?"

"Private Suzaku Kururugi. And you are?" Suzaku asked.

"Names Captain Durandal. But enough with the introductions, retreat now." Durandal said.

"What?" Suzaku asked, "But I-"

"You've done enough. I'll handle it from here." Durandal said.

"Very well then sir." Suzaku said as he retreated from the battlefield.

"Back off! That's Durandal the Red Comet!" Naoto said, "Retreat! We're gonna need those Sutherlands later! Let's just bail and get the people out!"

"Right!" The resistance cell members said as they begin to make their escape.

"Schnee, Ledo, stop them from escaping!" Durandal said.

"Yes Captain!" The two soldiers said.

Ledo's Sutherland rushes off into combat while Schnee began firing at the resistance cell members that were making their escape. Durandal rushes at the white Glasgow. Durandal thrusts his jousting lance at the Glasgow. The Glasgow evades the thrusts Of Durandal's lance. The Glasgow parried Durandal and forced him back. The Glasgow charged at Durandal with its lance, but Durandal quickly jumps over the Glasgow.

_'What?!'_ Rei thought as he turned around.

The Gloucester kicked the Glasgow back. Rei fired the slash harkens at the Gloucester. The Gloucester deflects the harkens with the blades on the lance.

"Back off kid! That's Durandal the Red Comet! You can't take him on! Not with a Glasgow!" Naoto said.

Before Rei could escape, Durandal came at him and thrusts his lance at the Glasgow. The lance got the Glasgow's chest and Rei pulled the ejection lever, escaping from the Glasgow before it exploded. Durandal laughed as the cockpit flew away.

"Good little rabbit! You've done well and have impressed me!" Durandal said, _'Now to deal with Clovis.'_

"Durandal! Old friend! You're here! Oh thank the Emperor you're here!" Clovis said.

"Sorry old friend, I was late to the party." Durandal said, "My subordinates are hunting the Elevens down, you have my word on it."

"You're a godsend Durandal." Clovis said, "With you here, this will all be over soon."

"It shall indeed be over my friend." Durandal said before cutting transmission, _'Now for a little talk with him.'_

The Gloucester sped off to where the Glasgow's cockpit was.

Rei got out of the cockpit and looked around. He grabbed the communicator.

"Naoto-San, my unit is down." Rei said.

"I know kid! We got a bigger problem on our hands here!" Naoto said, "We'll meet up later! Just hide somewhere safe! I'll get you after the dust settles!"

"Right." Rei said as he was about to head inside a nearby building.

Bullets flew towards the building he was about to enter.

"Stop right there, little rabbit. I only want to have a little talk with you." Durandal said as he pulled up near the cockpit block.

Durandal got out of the cockpit and came down. Rei pulled his gun out, but Durandal shot it out of Rei's hands.

"Now now, I said I only wanted to talk to you." Durandal said.

"Who are you?" Rei asked.

"Me? I am simply a man with ideals of his own. Ideals he wishes to make into a reality." Durandal said, "I bet you've heard about me before, but I'll introduce myself anyway. I'm Durandal. Durandal the Red Comet."

"So you're Durandal then?" Rei asked.

"Why yes, I said it before and you've heard of me, yes? No? Don't you at least recognize me?" Durandal asked.

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked.

Durandal smiled.

"Where should I begin? Oh yes, let's start off with your tenure as... a test subject of the Overman Project and Code R." Durandal said.

"Overman? Code R? What are you-?"

Durandal laughed.

"Listen closely now, you might learn something about yourself, that is if you forgot who you are anyway." Durandal said.


	4. Chapter 3: Overman Theory and Code R

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to CLAMP and Studio Sunrise. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Chapter 3: Overman Theory and Code R**

Durandal and Rei were standing and had their guns pointed at each other. Durandal simply smiled while Rei looked at Durandal with distrust with the man.

"You see, there was a theory that a philosopher by the name of Dranstain Zi Britannia, the father of our Emperor, first in line for the Imperial Throne once said about the nature of human evolution. He said that humans would reach the next phase of evolution." Durandal said, "Those who had reached the next stage of evolution would become superior to humans in every way. They would become something more than human. They would have abilities that would defy everything we ever known about. These people would be coined with the term Overman."

"Overman?" Rei asked, "But what does that have to do with me?"

Durandal chuckled, "That's because you just so happened to have won the evolutionary lottery."

"Evolutionary lottery?" Rei asked.

"Yes, you my friend are unique because you happen to access to a region within the brain that had never been seen up until now since it had been in plain sight for so long." Durandal said, "Because of that factor, you have become something above a human, in other words, an Overman."

Some of it was beginning to make sense with him. He wasn't sure how his own brain is involved with him being an Overman.

"What does my brain have to do with it?" Rei asked.

Durandal waves his finger.

"Now now, I can't explain everything all at once. You can think of it like this, your brain had a hidden part in it. A part so well hidden, it was as if it didn't exist." Durandal said, "Once you've gained access to that region, the innate abilities of an Overman are released."

"So because I have access to some part of my head that Im an Overman?" Rei asked

"Exactly. Now you're getting the picture." Durandal said, "You've become an Overman thanks to the that region in your brain. However, the abilities of an Overman need time to develop. The Rosenberg Institute that had been studying you confirmed that your abilities had yet to fully awaken."

"Fully awaken?" Rei asked.

"Yes, you my friend have only tapped the surface. The rest is something you'll have to bore down for." Durandal said, "Now as for your connection to Code R... well... we found you on an island with a strange artifact. You emerged from it along with someone else."

"Someone else?" Rei muttered.

"Yes, Someone else was with you within that artifact. But he's irrelevant." Durandal said, "Anyway, you and that witch have the same power. Well, not really the same, but regardless, you two seem connected."

"Witch?" Rei asked.

"Yes, green haired, yellow eyes maybe?" Durandal asked.

_'The girl?!'_ Rei thought as his face turned to shock.

"I see you've met her already." Durandal said, "We called her a witch because apparently, she is immortal."

"Immortal? What do you mean she's immortal?" Rei asked.

Durandal chuckled before laughing. Rei pointed the gun he had at Durandal's head.

"Why it's simple, she cannot die and she cannot age. Nothing can kill her, not even a decapitation or burning her alive will do any of it." Durandal said, "The only solution would be to reduce her to nothing but atoms."

"Impossible..." Rei said in disbelief.

"Oh but it is." Durandal said, "We found a scar on left side of her chest, where the heart was. Judging by the shape and the toughness of the edges, she was most likely stabbed and carved."

"Stabbed?!" Rei said.

"Yes, she was stabbed in the heart and the wound was carved as such." Durandal said, "Any normal man would be dead at that point, but instead, she survived it regardless."

"And what does that have to with me?!" Rei asked.

"Why because of of a certain bird like mark of course." Durandal said. "These marks appeared on one part of your body for some reason. We don't know how it got there, but the scientists confirmed that it is triggered almost on command."

"On command?" Rei asked, "Like a light switch?"

"Yes, a light switch." Durandal said, "We don't know what it signified at first, but it certainly had nothing to do with you being an Overman."

"So what are you saying then?" Rei asked.

"I'm saying you, my friend, have something akin to magic. Whatever it is, it made you quite dangerous. They had no idea what you could do. The damage you might leave would be enormous if you went berserk." Durandal said, "When we found out the correlation between the two and figured that her immortality could be a advanced phase of that power you had."

Rei tried to piece it all together and it all began to make sense to him.

"You wanted to turn me into a weapon." Rei said.

"Now you get the picture of your importance!" Durandal said, "A weapon like you would be unstoppable. No one would stop you. Not the Chinese Federation or the European Union could stop you if they tried!"

Rei kept the gun drawn out with his finger on the trigger. Durandal shot the gun out of Rei's hands.

"There's no use resisting your fate! Join me and you'll have whatever it is you desire! Power? Fame? Money? It's all yours for the taking!" Durandal said, "You wouldn't resist that offer, now would you?"

Rei looked in defiance.

"Never." Rei said, "I'll never join you! I'll never be your weapon!"

Durandal looked at Rei with disappointment.

"I guess even a child like you wants to defy fate." Durandal said, "Very well then, if you survive, we will meet again on the battlefield, this time on equal footing I hope."

Durandal turned to his Gloucester and went over to it. He got in the cockpit of the Gloucester and started it up. He cocked a smile.

"Goodbye little rabbit. I'll be waiting for you in the field of battle." Durandal said.

Durandal heard the warning alarm and turned to see what appeared to be a Sutherland belonging to the Purebloods firing on him.

"A traitor! I should have known!" Durandal said as he fired at the Sutherland.

The Sutherland dodged the bullets and went past the Gloucester. The Sutherland turned around and was headed for the G-1.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Durandal said as he threw the lance he had.

The lance decapitated the Sutherland. The cockpit block ejected from the Sutherland as it fell down. Durandal looked in anger as the cockpit flew away.

"All units inside the encirclement, be on the look out for a suspicious person within the cockpit of a Pureblood Sutherland that was just ejected. I repeat, be on a look out for a suspicious person from a cockpit of a Pureblood Sutherland that just ejected. He is a traitor to the Empire! Shoot on sight!" Durandal said.

He turned around to see Rei was gone. Durandal cocked a smile.

_'A quick getaway.'_ Durandal thought, _'He really is like a rabbit.'_

The resistance members were making their escape while Ledo and Schnee were moving in to take them out. Naoto fired a slash harken at the ground, causing the ground to collapse. Ledo backed off and Schnee couldn't fire due to the dust. When the dust settled, they were gone.

"Damn!" Ledo exclaimed as he slammed the console, "I thought we had them!"

"They escaped." Schnee said, "I'll inform the captain of what's happened here."

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get out of here." Ledo said, "I'm done looking at this boneyard of a city."

"Here here." Schnee said.

The two withdrew from combat along with Durandal.

Suzaku turned back and looked at the Ghetto.

_'Lelouch... please be alright.'_ Suzaku thought, _'And that girl too, is she alright as well?'_

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

Lloyd stood up with a curious look on his face.

"That Glasgow my Lancelot was fighting... the pilot must be really something, huh?" Lloyd asked.

"Yes, he was able to keep up with the Lancelot." Cécile said, "I wouldn't imagine what that pilot would be like if he were piloting Lancelot."

Lloyd was imagining that and the result seemed was becoming more satisfactory than worrying. He could see it now, his creation tearing through armies with relative ease, going head to head with the Knights of the Round, it was all magnificent. Questions floated around his head concerning the pilot of that White Glasgow.

"Is he an Overman?" Lloyd asked himself.

"Wait, what was that Lloyd?" Cecile asked, overhearing what Lloyd said.

"Oh, nothing." Lloyd said.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Clovis was pacing back and forth. He was trying to think of something. He needed to think of something, but what? What was there to think of? The door opened and a grunt just so happened to be there.

"Who in the-?! Who are you and-?!"

"Leave and wait outside." The grunt said.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Rei managed to reach the shelter and saw a burning wreckage of a tank along with some dead soldiers. Thoughts began racing through his mind. He went to the shelter to see that the door on the shelter was ok. It wasn't blasted open. He looked for a way in. He heard a groan. He turned to see a soldier getting up. The soldier's helmet was damaged. The thing was barely usable anymore in that condition. The soldier took off the helmet. The soldier had blue hair and blue eyes. The soldier pulled out a sidearm. The soldier looked to see the boy pointing a gun at him. The soldier suddenly hesitated.

Rei saw the soldier's hesitation. He saw disbelief in his eyes. The soldier was backing away from the child. Rei saw the horror in that soldier's eyes. The soldier ran away from the boy, leaving him alone.

"All units are to cease fire at once! I repeat, all units are to cease fire at once! I, Third Prince Clovis will not allow anymore bloodshed of any kind nor will there be discrimination against anyone!" A voice boomed from a speaker.

"Cease fire?" Rei asked himself.

The communicator crackled to life.

"It's over Kid. The fightings over." A familiar voice said.

"Naoto-San!" Rei said.

"You're alive! Oh thank god!" Naoto said, "Don't worry kid, we'll rendezvous with you as soon as possible, just stay in the shelter until we get there!"

"Right!" Rei said.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Clovis turns the bridge lights out and locked the doors.

"Alright then, what's next, a game of chess?" Clovis asked.

"Now that's something I'd like to reminisce." The grunt holding the gun said to the prince.

"Hm?" Clovis asked.

The grunt pulled his helmet off to reveal a familiar face. Clovis's eyes dilated from the sight of the grunt's face. That black hair and those purple eyes-!

"You recognize me now Clovis?" The grunt said as he walked forward.

"Le-Lelouch?" Clovis asked.

"Why yes, it is I, 17th in line for the Imperial Throne and 11th Prince Of Britannia and eldest child of Marianne vi Britannia, Lelouch vi Britannia is at your service." Lelouch said, "I have come back from the pits of hell to bring hell to this world, dead brother of mine."

Clovis looked overjoyed. Tears of joy were coming from his eyes. He got up from the chair and looked at his long lost brother with joy.

"It's you! It's really you!" Clovis said, "Brother! I'm so glad to see you once more in my eyes again! 7 years of waiting and it's finally all paid off! I'm finally reunited with you again!"

"I'm happy as well brother, I'm happy to see you again, but it's sad now that the circumstances have become... different." Lelouch said.

Clovis suddenly looked in confusion.

"What are you-"

He paused. Lelouch looked at Clovis with contempt. Clovis began to realize why his own brother looked at him with such contempt.

"No... brother, you know me better than this. I would never-!"

"Kill my own mother?" Lelouch asked, "Oh please, I already know the motive."

He remembered that day as much as he did. 8 years ago, his mother, a consort to the Emperor, his father, was murdered by assassins. She was a Knight of Honor by title, but a commoner by birth. There was much contempt from the blue bloods that envied her rise to power. So out of hatred, she was killed by them.

"Please brother, you know I admire her, as much as Cornelia, Schneizel, and even Euphemia did! I would never do such a thing!" Clovis spoke out.

"I know that part. I really do. But that matters little to me." Lelouch said, "Even so, you murdered millions of innocent people and I now want my mother's killer dead."

"And our father? What about him?" Clovis asked, "Are you going to kill him too?"

"Maybe, but that depends whether I really want him dead or not." Lelouch said with those cold eyes of his, "But enough talk."

His left eye glowed red with a bird shaped sigil.

"Answer my questions truthfully." Lelouch said.

The sigil flew towards Clovis and went into his eyes. Suddenly, Clovis's eyes develop red glowing rings around them and his expression changes to an emotionless one.

"Yes brother." Clovis said in a monotone voice.

_'Good, now to get all the answers I need from him.'_ Lelouch thought, "The girl in the capsule, who is she?"

"A woman with immortality." Clovis said.

Lelouch looked in shock and disbelief.

_'Immortal? As in she can't die? But how?' _He thought, "How so?"

"The mark on her head. It gave her the ability to regenerate at an accelerated rate, she has also shown no sign of aging as photos have shown her in the Great War. She was still young as ever, beyond the war." Clovis said.

_'The Great War... Of course, she'd be on her death bed if she lived past that, but if she's immortal, then she'd wouldn't be affected by age.'_ Lelouch thought, "Is that why you covered her existence up then?"

Clovis nodded.

"So you wanted to prevent her existence to become public knowledge, correct?" Lelouch asked.

Clovis nodded, "If her existence was to be known worldwide, the whole world would want her."

"For what?" Lelouch asked.

"For her power, as we found someone who currently has a piece of her power." Clovis said.

"A piece?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, a boy of both Britannian and Eleven breed, he is also of Zilk heritage." Clovis said.

_'Zilk?!' _Lelouch thought as his face looked shocked before being calm again, "Are you sure he is of Zilk heritage?"

"Yes, tests have confirmed that he is in fact of Zilk heritage." Clovis said.

_'A child of Zilk heritage...' _Lelouch thought, _'A dangerous thing you're playing with their Clovis.'_

He remembered a time where his father, the Emperor, told him of the Kingdom of Zilkistan. He told him that a handful of their own soldiers decimated an entire army of Britannians without so much as a scratch. Skilled warriors born in the unforgiving deserts of Zilkistan, they showed no mercy to anyone that dare faced them. If the Kingdom of Zilkistan wanted to, the kingdom would have conquered the whole world by itself in a matter of days, with or without Knightmare Frames to wield. A Zilk was something that was never to be trifled with as an ally nor an enemy.

He got back to what he was doing and left it alone in his mind for now.

"How did he have her power?" Lelouch asked.

"Well, some of her cells were mixed in with his." Clovis said, "In a way, it was as if it was wired into the boy."

_'Cellular implantation... of course, someone wanted him to become a bioweapon that utilized the power I have.'_ Lelouch thought, "Anything else about the boy?"

"Well... we believe he is to be an Overman." Clovis said.

"An Overman?! As in from the theory?!" Lelouch asked in shock.

"Yes." Clovis said, "His brainwaves suggest that he has tapped into the Over Region of his brain and has unlocked these abilities. However, his abilities have yet to fully grow."

_'So he hasn't fully awaken as an Overman yet... first he's a descendant of a Zilk and he's an Overman? If I were Clovis, I'd be more worried about him than the girl! And yet...!'_ Lelouch thought.

All of this was beginning to confuse Lelouch, he decided to drop his interest on that and now focused on the more important questions he needed to ask.

"Then answer this question, who killed my mother?" Lelouch asked.

Clovis was about to speak, but he stopped.

"You don't know then?" Lelouch asked, "Who knows?"

"Cornelia and Schneizel. They'll have the answers." Clovis said.

_'So just Cornelia and Schneizel... fine then.' _Lelouch thought, "My last question then. Where can I find the information you have on the girl and the boy?"

"I entrusted Bartley with the project with a team of scientists from the Rosenberg Institute. I entrusted him with all the data and documents." Clovis said, "If anything were to happen to me, he would have the team go to Narita where they would work uninterrupted. If anything were to happen to him, he'd pass the information on to someone else."

"I see then, thank you." Lelouch said.

The rings faded from his eyes and he was back to himself and looked in fear. He cowered before his brother.

"Please Brother! Don't! I'm begging you!" Clovis said, "I never meant for any of this! I swear to you brother! We may have different mothers, but we are still connected through blood!"

Lelouch pointed the gun at Clovis's head.

"Sorry Clovis, but you can't change the world without getting your hands dirty." Lelouch said as he was about to pull the trigger.

_"No! Don't kill him!"_ A female voice yelled into his head.

_'A voice?!' _Lelouch thought in a moment of hesitation.

Clovis quickly brought his hand down on the gun. Lelouch pulls the trigger as Clovis knocked the gun down.

**BANG!**

The bullet hits Clovis's chest and pierced his heart. Clovis writhed in pain as he clenched his chest tightly as he felt the hot pain in his chest and the coldness from the blood he was losing as blood pooled at his chest, tainting his royal clothes with an expanding red. Lelouch backed away as Clovis fell to the floor, holding his wound in pain. Clovis breathed raggedly and gasped as his body went into convulsions.

"So you've gone down that path... you're embarking on the path of blood..." Clovis said.

"I'm sorry brother, but that's how it is." Lelouch said as he unlocked the doors and made for a quick getaway.

* * *

Durandal got up to the bridge to find Clovis, convulsing on the floor with blood coming from his chest. Clovis looked to see Durandal in front of him.

"Durandal... friend... you've come to help me..." Clovis said.

"Help you?" Durandal asked as he soon cocked a sinister smile, "You must be stupid if you really believe that."

"W-What?" Clovis muttered as he looked betrayed.

"You see, you were nothing but a tool. Yes, a tool for my own purposes." Durandal said, "It's a shame your uses have come to an end so quickly."

"You... you traitor!" Clovis yelled before gasping and holding his chest wound, "You double crossed me!"

"Blame your father for that. He's the one to blame for your shortcomings anyway." Durandal said, "Goodbye, my friend."

Durandal went over to Clovis and took the ring off his finger before he turns to leave the bridge. He chuckles one last time before he leaves. Clovis looked up to the ceiling. He reached for the ceiling.

"Forgive me... Mother... everyone... I'm... sorry..." Clovis said as his final breathe came and left him.

His eyes shut themselves closed and his hand lied motionless.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Rei quickly looked at the G-1 as everyone was leaving in crowds.

"What's wrong?" Naoto asked.

"N-Nothing. Nothings wrong." Rei said as he kept walking with the rest of the group.

He thought about what Durandal told him and what he felt.

_'Am I... really an Overman?' _Rei thought, _'Most importantly, is that girl ok?'_

Just like that, the battle of Shinjuku draws to a close. The battle was over with heavy casualties of Eleven civilians and Britannian soldiers. The mystery that was his own past has grown even further from him. Will he have to fight again? When will he find peace? Will he ever know who he truly is?


	5. Chapter 4: Aftermath of Shinjuku

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to CLAMP and Studio Sunrise. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Chapter 4: Aftermath of Shinjuku**

An investigation was called in to find out if one of the Purebloods had turned traitor. Durandal was heading the investigation. As of now, most of the Purebloods, including their leader, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, all had solid alibis. One of them was close to being called out as a traitor though. That one person was Villetta Nu. Her testimony seemed suspicious. In the end, they couldn't find any hard evidence that she had in fact betrayed the military, so they let her off. Even so, her finding a Britannian school boy, only to lose consciousness upon trying to identify the boy, only to regain her senses only to find out that her Sutherland and key with it was lost sounded bizarre and unimaginable.

The Sutherland that did attack him was in fact her Sutherland, but the key was gone and may have been possibly destroyed. The investigation was over and Durandal was heading home to his private estate while his Gloucester was going under maintenance. He arrived at his estate and went over to his room. He dialed a number on his phone and pressed the 'call' button. He held it up to his ear.

"Yes." The phone operator said.

"Captain Durandal, Serial Number 9087220-7309," Durandal said, "would you kindly patch me through to Prince Schneizel el Britannia? I have information to give him."

* * *

**Pendragon, Britannian Homeland**

Schneizel el Britannia's house phone was ringing. He went over to his phone and picked it up and held it to his ear.

"Yes, this is Prince Schneizel el Britannia... Durandal? I see then, put him through." Schneizel said, "Yes captain, what is it?"

"It's about Prince Clovis, he's dead." Durandal said.

"Oh? He is? What happened?" Schneizel asked.

"Well, a group of terrorists, one that wasn't in the database concerning the other guerrillas and terrorists by the way, made off with that witch in the capsule." Durandal said, "Our little rabbit was there as well."

"Uh Huh. And the rabbit?" Schneizel asked.

"He did remarkably well in actual combat." Durandal said, "He even managed to put up a decent fight against the Lancelot."

"Lancelot? You mean the project Lloyd was working on for 7 years is complete?" Schneizel asked.

"Yes. It was an astounding success from a technological standpoint and the pilot was exceptionally skilled." Durandal said.

"So the Blaze Luminous worked just as he said then." Schneizel said.

"Yes, an energy shield designed to withstand bullets and shells." Durandal said, "The pilot happened to be an Honorary Britannian by the name of Suzaku Kururugi."

"An Eleven pilot?" Schneizel asked, "Can he be trusted?"

"Yes my lord, he shows absolute loyalty to Britannia." Durandal said.

"Good." Schneizel said, "And what of the rabbit?"

"His Overman abilities are awakening, but his memories have been lost due to his breakout." Durandal said, "At least his piloting skills were somehow intact despite the memory loss."

"And the location, where did this all happen?" Schneizel asked.

"Shinjuku Ghetto." Durandal said.

Schneizel cocked a smile.

"Ok then. Do you have combat data from our rabbit?" Schneizel asked.

"I have Ledo working on sending it now." Durandal said, "Is there anything else you'd like to hear?"

"About his death, did you-"

"I confirmed the body. It was definitely his." Durandal said, "Jeremiah has launched an investigation into the matter at hand."

"I see then." Schneizel said, "Captain, how would like to have your own Lancelot unit?"

"I beg your pardon?" Durandal asked.

"You see, I knew the Lancelot would succeed on the field and since you and Clovis were good friends, I've ordered the construction of your own Lancelot unit." Schneizel said, "And don't worry, it'll be colored the way you wanted it. Red and Gold, a symbol of our friendship."

"When can I expect it?" Durandal asked.

"It's construction has been completed, Kanon is sending you the data on it now. As for its delivery, it'll arrive within a few days." Schneizel said, "Trust me my friend, you'll love it like you would with any beautiful woman."

"Thank you my lord." Durandal said.

"One more thing Durandal, What about Lalah?" Schneizel asked, "How is she?"

"She's fine sir, she's attending school." Durandal said, "Goodbye old friend. All Hail Britannia."

"All Hail Britannia." Schneizel said before he puts the phone down.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11**

Durandal puts the phone down. He turned to his computer that had downloaded some files. He got on his computer and opened the files. He saw the schematics of the unit. It definitely resembled the Lancelot, only it had different parts. As he went over the schematics, he saw an apparatus on the back that had a cape. It had 6 swords on both sides of the cockpit. The wrists had devices that looked to be where the swords would fit into. The swords were also hooked up to the back of slash harkens in the apparatus. He looked for the name and found it. He smiled with glee.

"Lancelot Grail... such a fitting name for it for a Knightmare fitting for the Red Comet." Durandal said to himself, "Now what about you, little rabbit? I wonder if your Eleven friends are giving you something..."

* * *

**_One Day Later_**

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

The military was on high alert in Shinjuku Ghetto. Inoue was on lookout and saw Britannians coming in with hazmat suits. She brought her communicator out.

"It's just like you said, only the higher-ups knew what was in the capsule." Inoue said.

"I see... Alright then Inoue, head back inside." Naoto said.

"Right." Inoue said.

**Naoto's Hideout**

Naoto switched the communicator off.

_'The higher-ups want her existence to be a complete secret. If word got out about her, the whole world would be in upheaval.'_ Naoto thought, _'Not only would you have people going out in the streets with guns, knives, pitchforks, and possibly Knightmare Frames, you'd have government agencies from various countries trying to capture her.'_

He tried to think as things went on.

* * *

**Road to the Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement**

An armored transport was headed to the Viceroy's Palace with Sutherlands as escort. Inside was a coffin and Bartley with his hand on his forehead.

_'I may not have memory of it, but I left his highness with a murderer.'_ Bartley thought, _'I'll be called back to homeland for sure. I'm sorry my lord! Forgive me for my folly!'_

Suddenly, Purist Sutherlands were being flown in with Knightmare VTOLs. The Sutherlands dropped down and descended upon the convoy. The Purists charged with their tonfas out and quickly attacked the Sutherlands guarding the transport. The Sutherlands guarding the transport had their heads severed from their bodies, causing them to deactivate and fall to the floor. Jeremiah's Sutherland retracted it's tonfas and walked over to the transport and began to rip the roof of the vehicle off. Bartley was beginning to panic.

"Wait! Hold on! I-!"

"Don't feed me that excuse Bartley!" Jeremiah said with the speakers on, "You left his highness to die, so now you'll pay the price for it!"

"W-Wait! The others-! They too-!"

"Shifting the blame are we?!" Jeremiah berated Bartley as the roof was ripped off.

Jeremiah came out of the cockpit and aimed his sidearm at the bald man.

"I'm afraid you're going back to homeland." Jeremiah said, "Only this time, in a white prison uniform and straight to the Imperial Towers."

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Rei thought about everything that happened last night. He kept thinking to himself about being an Overman. It gnawed away at his mind. It was an enigma that needed to be solved.

He heard that noise again. It was calling to him once again. He looked towards the Settlement, wondering what was calling out to him.

_'Who are you?'_ Rei thought.

Naoto noticed the kid looking out towards the Settlement. He walked over to the kid.

"What do you see there?" Naoto asked.

"Eh?" Rei muttered as he turned to see Naoto, "No, I uh... um... It's nothing. It's... it's just that... Well I..."

He couldn't find the right words for this.

"Come on kid, you can tell me." Naoto said.

"Well I... um... have you heard about something called an Overman?" Rei asked.

"Overman?" Naoto asked, "You know, that actually rings a bell."

"It does?" Rei asked.

Naoto quickly took a seat.

"My dad used to tell me all about that stuff. He said that if the theory was correct and that Overman do actually exist, then humanity would be changed forever." Naoto said, "Not only would we have a new type of human living among us, but they would change everything we've ever known for like what? Thousands of years maybe? I didn't catch everything."

"I see..." Rei said, "So if I told you that I could be an Overman, how would you feel?"

Naoto looked perplexed by the thought. He scratched the top of his head.

"I guess... I'd feel sorry for you." Naoto said.

"Sorry? For what?" Rei asked.

"For turning you into a weapon." Naoto said, "Think about it, the Ashfords created the first Knightmare Frame as a general purpose machine. A machine that could transform the entire world economy through all the possible applications that the Knightmare could do, ranging from mining, construction, deep sea exploration, and a bunch of other things too. But in the end, all good things eventually turn bad."

"Turn bad?" Rei asked, "How?"

"You know about the Glasgow, right?" Naoto asked.

"Yes." Rei said.

"They were the first Knightmares to be used for the sole purpose of war, starting with Japan." Naoto said.

Rei gasped in shock.

"I know, the very thing you used was a tool of war. Nothing else." Naoto said, "And the last thing you'll ever have to grow up into is another weapon for war."

"So you didn't want me to be a part of your resistance because you'll fear that I'll end up becoming a weapon just like the Knightmare Frames..." Rei said.

"Not only that, but if you are an Overman and that their existence is confirmed, nations all over will be turning Overmen into weapons." Naoto said, "That's the inevitable thing at least. I'd be more worried about your mental health too. War can change a good hearted angel into a demon that kills all who get in his way. God knows what it'll do to you."

The boy looked saddened by what he heard.

"It's sad, but that's just how war is." Naoto said, "That's why the world must change. If it doesn't, How can humanity move forward without happiness?"

* * *

**Pendragon Imperial Palace, Pendragon, Britannian Homeland**

Charles zi Britannia was sitting on his throne as Schneizel came in. Charles looked at his son as Schneizel with a blank yet, intimidating expression.

"Father, I have come to present you with something you'll find marvelous." Schneizel said.

"And what exactly is it, Schneizel?" Charles asked.

Schneizel snapped his fingers. Kanon came in with some papers that were stapled together. The papers appeared to be documents. Kanon handed Schneizel one of the documents while Kanon held the other documents.

"You remember the Overman Theory?" Schneizel asked.

"Yes. I've heard of it." Charles said as his fingers scratched the chair, "My father prattled along that nonsense. What of it?"

"Well, I've realized something about this theory that might interest you." Schneizel said as he skimmed through the pages, "I've noticed something about this theory that might actually be of use to the Empire."

"And that is?" Charles asked with a raised brow.

"Well, I've also had a project looking into the possibility of the existence of these Overmen, and I will say, the theory had it right all along." Schneizel said.

"How so?" Charles asked.

"You have Clovis to thank for that. His little side project uncovered something of use." Schneizel said, "Kanon, if you would."

Kanon walked over to the emperor and handed him the documents.

"Our findings, my lord." Kanon said.

The emperor took a look at the documents and skimmed through some of the pages. He stopped on a particular page and looked at it.

_**Subject 01**_

There was a picture of a 14-year-old boy with silver white hair and red eyes. He skimmed through the important stuff but found something that made his eyes focus on that part of the paper.

**_Note: Subject's skill as a Devicer are beyond normal expectations. Fast reaction time, adapted to difficult situations quickly, and has shown a high score on the simulations._**

"He was merely a child, yes?" Charles asked.

"That's what it says." Schneizel said.

"And he managed to pilot a Knightmare Frame excellently?" Charles asked.

"Yes father. It would seem these Overmen tend to understand even the most difficult of concepts and apply them to help themselves gain an advantage in any situation and theoretically of course, if put on the battlefield, would turn the tide of battle." Schneizel said, "The theory and the evidence goes hand in hand."

Charles began to smile and chuckle. He stood up on his throne and hands the documents back to Kanon.

"Anything else?" Charles asked.

Schneizel smiled, "Well, considering that Overmen could react to almost any situation entirely, having them on the front line will mostly boost our military power and make even the Chinese Federation quiver before the might of Britannia."

Charles soon howled in laughter.

"I see then! Schneizel, you have made yourself a good point! All this time, I thought my father was making up nothing but rubbish, but now I finally see that is no longer the case!" Charles said, "Continue your research into these Overmen! Find out all you can about the abilities these Overmen possess! With the power of these Overmen, we now have an edge over the world!"

"Thank you father." Schneizel said, "And the Knightmare Evolution Plan, have you-?"

"Yes. I have signed it already. Guinevere is already on it." Charles said, "You'll be having the results very soon."

"And where is she now?" Schneizel asked.

"She's headed to California for the new models that have been built and are now being tested." Charles said.

* * *

**California Base, Britannian Homeland**

Guinevere de Britannia came to California Base to see the testing of a series of new Knightmare Frame models. She arrived at the base and made it to the control tower where the base commander and all the other staff were expecting her with a salute. She was wearing her dress with her sunglasses on.

"I see the new models are ready for the testing exercise then?" Guinevere asked.

"Yes milady, the testing exercises are just about to begin." The commander said, "Have Sol Squadron out on the runway."

"Yes sir," an officer said before switching the speakers on, "Sol Squadron, prepare to launch."

Out in the hangar bay were three Knightmares. The lower half of their bodies looked close to the MR-1 while the top half had the usual cockpit and a Glasgow head. The chest was designed to be curved so wind resistance doesn't drag it too hard. The back had wings on the side that were folded. The colors were that of the Britannian Air Force, white and red. Most of the body was white while parts of the head, shoulders, and the wing tips were colored red. On the wings and the shoulders was the mark of the Sol Squadron, a sun. The Knightmares had no feet, just the landspinner itself looked like feet. The arms had no hands. Instead, they were replaced with coil guns. The knees had VTOL propulsion systems on it while the wings had jet thrusters built in. There were missile launchers built into the chest compartment with additional missiles ready. The Knightmares rolled out of the hangar bay.

Guinevere saw the Knightmares come out and looked a bit confused and frustrated.

"What the hell is that?" Guinevere asked.

"That would be the RAI-X16 Somerset. The world's first aerial Knightmare Frame." The commander said, "It may look like a refitted Glasgow designed for aerial combat, but I wouldn't under estimate it."

"And why shouldn't I be feel a bit confused and frustrated that I'm looking at the love child of the Glasgow and the MR-1 with wings?" Guinevere asked, "How is it even going to work?"

"You'll see." The commander said.

The Somersets got onto the runway.

"They're ready." The officer said.

"Alright then." The commander said, "Launch!"

"Sol Squadron, you are clear for launch." The Officer said.

The Somersets dash on the runway and are increasing their speed. The VTOL engines on the knees activate and begin to lift the Knightmares off the runway. The legs folded in as the arms folded as well. The wings folded into place and unfolded their wings as their jet engines fired off, propelling the Knightmare into the sky. Guinevere looked in shock and amazement as the Knightmares flew.

"The new Fortress Mode allows them to fly, surprising, yes?" The commander asked.

"Well... I'll be damned." Guinevere said, "We just made transformable Knightmare Frames a thing now."

"Impressive, aren't they?" The commander asked, "The Royal Airborne Infantry. Now all our main military branches have Knightmare Frames. The Navy with the Royal Marine Infantry Portman, the Army with the Royal Panzer Infantry's current poster boy, the Sutherland, and now our Air Force with the Royal Airborne Infantry Somerset."

"And the weapons?" Guinevere asked.

"Aside from the coil guns, we also placed some missiles on them. The company that made these units used the designs of the Panzer Hummel to give our fly boys some missiles. They are also in the middle of developing weapon containers to hold unguided bombs, semi-active radar missiles, and quick maneuver missiles." The base commander said.

"Panzer Hummels? You mean the ungodly love child of our Britannian Knightmares and the Chinese Federation Gun-Rus?" Guinevere asked, "I didn't think we'd be using the technology from other countries for this to work."

"Oh don't worry, it's only the missile launchers." The base commander said, "Alright, have them start the test."

"Yes sir." The officer said, "Sol Squadron, head for the testing site."

"Roger control tower." Sol 1 said, "Headed for designated testing site."

* * *

**Testing Site**

Dummy targets were set up along the site with jet fighters flying in circles. The pilots picked up the Somersets headed right for them and turned to intercept them. The Somersets saw a squadron of at least 15 fighters total. The three Somersets spilt up to take the fighters on. The fighters split into groups of five and went after the Somersets. The Somersets were quick and agile with their mobility, the fighter pilots couldn't get a lock. The Somersets soon outmaneuvered the entire squadron and subsequently got a lock on every single one of their jets. The Somersets headed for their ground target and got a lock, firing their missiles at the dummy targets.

They changed to Knightmare mode and took out the remaining targets before changing back to fortress mode and headed back to base.

* * *

**California Base**

Guinevere looked impressed by the results.

"I must say, I'm impressed. Whoever built these things has my respect." Guinevere said.

"That would be Steiner Konzern Heavy Industries' Wilbur Millville." The commander said.

"Steiner Konzern? The company that made our fighter jets? I see... and this Sol Squadron you mentioned, who's leading them?" Guinevere asked.

"His name is Mihaly Shilage, an archduke of the Shilage Family, known for having the best pilots in the Britannian Air Force." The commander said.

"Shilage? I see... didn't the Weinberg family consider the Shilage family to be rivals?" Guinevere asked.

"Yes, that's true. They are rivals with similar goals of ruling the sky. Back when the first air plane took off." The commander said, "Shilage has two granddaughters with the younger one being born five years after the eldest granddaughter was born."

"How old is he?" Guinevere asked.

"About 60 years of age." The commander said.

"As old as my father..." Guinevere said, "Is he a dangerously handsome fellow?"

"If you're trying to get in bed with him, I'd forget it." The commander said, "All he thinks about now when it comes to women is his wife who passed away."

"Oh... I see." Guinevere said, "I'm sure he'll live his life to the fullest as the best pilot in the Empire. I might convince father to make him a Knight of the Round. I did hear that the Knight of Two has retired and has left a seat open."

"If he had the time that is." The commander said.

"What? What do you mean?" Guinevere asked.

"He's terminally ill. He's running out of time." The commander said.

"And you're letting him fly the Somerset?" Guinevere asked.

"He wants nothing more but to fly in the sky and raise his grandchildren well. That's all he wants now. Nothing else matters. I'm surprised he's lasted this long, despite his illness." The commander said, "But enough about Mihaly. Let's talk about the Sutherland Ikaros."

"Sutherland Ikaros? And what's that?" Guinevere asked.

"That... that thing isn't a regular Knightmare Frame. Its... I think it was called a Knight Giga Fortress." The commander said.

"A... What?" Guinevere asked with confusion.

"You'll see." The commander said, "Have Thunderhead launch. It's time her highness bears witness to... that thing."

"Yes sir." The officer said, "Thunderhead, prepare for launch."

As the Somersets were on their way back, a giant aircraft was rolling out of the hangar bay. It looked like a Sutherland was actually sitting inside a giant mechanical body surrounding its head.

"FFB-02/RPI-13W Sutherland Ikaros is a beast. A beast with the wings of a giant bird." The commander said as everyone but him looked in awe, "It's ridiculous. Someone actually built this thing and said it would work. I'm not even sure if that's true. But if it is, I don't think anything will get this image out of my head."

He began to explain everything about it. It's weapons included three coil guns on each side of its wings that are foldable, bringing it up to six coil guns total. It's also armed with missiles and bombs. It also uses two Megiddo Harkens that it can fire when its wings unfold. It had Electromagnetic Armor that has been tested and proven to be impenetrable while also using plasma propulsion motors that are powered by electricity. On the sides was the word 'Thunderhead' along with a lightning bolt as its insignia.

Guinevere looked in complete shock and disbelief.

_'What kind of monster is this thing?'_ Guinevere asked herself.

* * *

_**At one night...**_

The Britannian Empire broke out in sadness as it was reported that Prince Clovis was murdered. It had been reported that he was dead with a bullet in his heart. The culprit was Suzaku Kururugi, son of former Prime Minister Kururugi, who was rumored to have committed suicide in retaliation to the military's call for a do-or-die resistance. Resistance groups listened on the radio and watched on nearby televisions.

**Naoto's Hideout, Shinjuku Ghetto **

"BULLSHIT!" Tamaki screamed as he kicked the TV over, "LIKE HELL HE'D MURDER THAT BASTARD! WE COULDN'T EVEN GET CLOSE TO THAT DAMN G-1 AT ALL, YET SOME TRAITOROUS BASTARD WHO DARES TO SAY HES JAPANESE SOMEHOW KILLED THE BASTARD PRINCE WHILE WE WERE BUSTING OUR ASSES?! LIKE HELL I'M GONNA BELIEVE THAT BULLSHIT!"

"Tamaki, calm down. I know how you feel, but now is not the time to get upset. We don't even know if he's even the real killer." Naoto said.

"THEN WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CREDIT FOR IT DAMNIT!" Tamaki said.

"And have the whole Ghetto bombed to hell again? That's crazy!" Minami said.

"Yeah... besides, humiliating the Brits is enough for us, right?" Yoshida asked.

"And what about that Lancelot? The kid had to fight him on his own and held on as long as possible." Inoue said, "I'm sure Kyoto would notice us for that at least."

"And what about that damned broad?! What about her?! Why didn't we just find her and nab her and make her talk?!" Tamaki asked, "How do we know she even exists?!"

"I saw her in that container! If I'd grabbed her earlier, maybe she could have explained something to us." Nagata said, "Even if she was here, she'd probably skipped on over to the other Ghettos."

"It wasn't him." Rei said.

"Kid?" Naoto asked.

"He wouldn't do it." Rei said, "He seemed gentle and kind. Sure he attacked me and Nagata, but that was only because he thought we stole some poison gas container."

"Kids got a point. He's Japanese after all. To kill the leader after he surrendered wouldn't be like him. He's the son of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, so he's got to have some honor. Like hell he'd kill a leader after a ceasefire was called." Nagata said, "Someone set him up to look like the killer."

"Even so..." Ohgi paused.

Naoto began to think. He took a sip of bear in his canteen. Everyone began to talk. He went to leave.

"Where are you going?" Ohgi asked.

"I need to think." Naoto said before taking a sip and left.

He stood outside the hideout and looked to the moon.

_'What does Kyoto think? Do they want him to be saved or are they going to leave him to die?'_ Naoto thought with another sip.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

A group of five elderly Japanese men were gathered. Among them was Taizo Kirihara, leader of the Six Houses of Kyoto, a group dedicated to supporting resistance groups everywhere in Area 11. The other 4 men were Hidenobu Kubouin, Tousai Munakata, Tatsunori Osakabe, and Hiroyosi Yoshino. The opinions the men had were split on the matter.

"You mean we should just leave the son of Genbu Kururugi to his own death?!" Osakabe exclaimed as he slammed his fist on the floor, "He's a hero to the Japanese! We can't leave him to his fate!"

"But we don't have enough evidence to even identify him as the killer." Kubouin said, "We can't rush to conclusions."

"Kubouin is right, we can't rush. If we do, we might get exposed." Yoshino said, "Even if we do reach an agreement on this matter, who would step in to save him?"

"Why the Japan Liberation Front should do it! They have Todoh the Miracle Worker and the Four Holy Swords, do they not?" Osakabe said, "Let's not forget that general Katase has lots of experience, the Japan Liberation Front should know what to do."

"Even so, what happens after that?" Munakato asked, "He's with the military, is he not? Even if we succeed in rescuing him, he might just escape and then turn himself in, making our efforts fruitless."

"Kirihara! What is your opinion on this matter?" Osakabe asked.

The bald headed man was silent. He had been deliberating this revelation ever since he heard it. He had lots of influence during the Kururugi Administration during the war. He could still remember the very last moments of Genbu Kururugi and his last words. His eyes opened after much deliberation of this matter.

"Even if we are to rescue him, it would most likely end in failure. There is nothing we can do for him now." Kirihara sadly admitted as he clenched his walking stick tightly in his hands with hidden frustration.

The men understood Kirihara's anger to how impossible the rescue would be.

"There is hope." A woman hidden behind a screen.

Behind it was Kaguya Sumeragi, the head mistress of the Six Houses of Kyoto and rumored among resistance groups as a the Miracle Child for having the strange ability to see visions of the future in her dreams, which inevitably came true as she saw what she believed was Japan's downfall by the hands of the Britannian Empire which occurred not long after that. Ever since then, her visions were never questioned by the Six Houses of Kyoto.

"Lady Kaguya?" Osakabe asked.

"Suzaku will be saved. I'm sure of it." Kaguya said, "I've seen it in a vision."

"You have?" Kirihara asked.

"Yes." Kaguya said, "A masked man, clad in black, will come to save him."

"A masked man?" Osakabe asked, "What of his name?"

"His name..." Kaguya paused before opening her green eyes, "...is Zero."


	6. Chapter 5: Revelations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to CLAMP and Studio Sunrise. Please support the official release of this fanfic. Be sure to review after you've read this chapter.**

**Chapter 5: Revelations**

**Ashford Academy Student Council Building, Tokyo Settlement**

Lelouch could not believe what he was seeing. His best friend was alive, but was now in a terrible position.

_'I'm sorry Suzaku... I'll save you. I will! No matter what it takes!'_ Lelouch thought, 'I will save you no matter the cost!'

Lelouch went out of his room and went to the one next door where Nunnally, blind and handicapped on a chair was near the bed. He remembered why she was even blind and crippled to begin with. The girl was caught up in an assassination attempt of their mother which had succeeded with her legs rendered useless due to the bullets puncturing her knee caps and her blindness as a result of trauma. Because of that wretched day, she couldn't walk and she couldn't see. Even so, he was glad to see that she had preserve in the face of that day and her current condition. He could tell she was sad. He could practically sense the sadness in her.

"Suzaku was alive all these years. I never thought he would be alive." Nunnally said.

"Yes, neither did I." Lelouch said.

He went to the bed and moved it's covers before picking Nunnally up and putting her onto the bed.

"You don't think he-"

"No. I know him better than that. He would never do such a thing." Lelouch said.

He puts her in the bed and pulls the covers over her.

"Brother... what's going to happen to him?" Nunnally asked.

Lelouch froze from hearing the question.

"Tell me, is he going to be alright?" Nunnally asked.

_'I wish I could tell you, but...'_ Lelouch paused in a moment of hesitation.

He didn't want to lie to her. She could tell if someone was lying by touching their hands. It was an ability that she had was a natural one but also a mysterious one. He knew what would happen if she figured that he was lying to her. She'd make assumptions that would be true.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Lelouch said, "He's been through the worst of situations before, I'm sure he'll do it again."

"I hope so." Nunnally said.

* * *

**Interrogation Room**

Suzaku has several bruises in his body. Most of his body was battered with blows. He knew he didn't murder the Viceroy. He knew he didn't because he would never have done something so contemptible. He refused to take such actions as the results were absolutely meaningless and do nothing but make that contempt grow. The Purebloods left him. The door opened and he saw Durandal enter the room.

"Private Kururugi, I presume?" Durandal asked, "I'm sure you've heard of me, yes?"

"I do sir." Suzaku said.

"Then you can guess why I'm here." Durandal said.

Suzaku looked away.

"I didn't do it." He said.

"That's not why I'm here." Durandal said as he took a seat, "You happen to know who Lelouch vi Britannia is, do you not?"

'Lelouch? Why is he bringing him up?' Suzaku thought.

"As far as I know, he and his sister were sent to Area 11 prior to the war. I suppose you two were friends." Durandal said.

"Yes. Ever since the war, I've never seen him ever since." Suzaku said, "Why do you ask?"

"Well... I have a sneaking suspicion that he maybe the killer after all." Durandal said.

Suzaku's eyes dilated upon hearing that. Thoughts began to run around in his head. He remembered hearing those words he heard from Lelouch 7 years ago.

* * *

_**7 Years Ago**_

_"I will obliterate Britannia!"_ A young Lelouch yelled.

A young Suzaku could only look at Lelouch with utmost fear and worry in his eyes. Fear coming from the inevitability of his friend's death and worry for a young Nunnally who was blind and crippled and happened to be asleep.

* * *

_'Lelouch... you... you didn't... you wouldn't... am I too late? What about Nunnally? Doesn't he know what will happen to her if he goes down that path?'_ Suzaku thought, _'Please god, don't let it be true! It can't be true! I don't want it to come to that! Anything but that!'_

"You seem shocked, almost as if you fear that he is the culprit." Durandal said, "Don't worry. I don't have any hard evidence proving he did it. So you could say he's in the clear."

Suzaku's fears began to die down.

"Besides, if word of him being alive for out, its likely he'll flee to the Chinese for protection, given their proximity to Area 11." Durandal said, "So there's no way I could get to him now, not when he could possibly skip town and leave. I'm not even 100% sure he's alive."

Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief, "Is that all my lord?"

"Well there is one more thing I'd like to tell you." Durandal said, "You are merely a scapegoat for the Purists to throw the Honorary Britannian System under a bus."

"What?!" Suzaku said.

"That's right. That's been their number one goal. My hands are tied so I can't do much to help you." Durandal said, "Until now, they haven't gotten one opportunity to do it. But now that Prince Clovis is dead and that they have control over Area 11, their goal is now within reach."

"So that means..." Suzaku said, "No! They can't! There's at least millions of Honorary Britannians living here to help their families! They can't do this!"

"I'm sorry. But there's nothing that can be done." Durandal said, "You'll be put to death and millions of Elevens will be stripped of their honorary citizenship and will be forced into the Ghettos."

Suzaku's head hung low over the table.

"Honestly, if it weren't for you, these events wouldn't have occurred. I'm sorry, but there is nothing that can be done." Durandal said, "Have fun with your trial."

He got up and left Suzaku to think about the current and soon-to-be circumstances.

* * *

**_A Day Later..._**

**Naoto's Hideout, Shinjuku Ghetto**

"So Im right on the dot," Naoto said on his phone.

He was calling Kallen and was hearing her telling him everything she gathered on the strange voice.

"So it's him? You're positive?" Naoto asked.

"Yes, it's the guy Rei told us about back when we fought in Shinjuku." Kallen said.

"And was there a connection with him and the voice?" Naoto asked.

"A connection? Well... there was a... slip-up that he made on accident." Kallen said, "He said never to bring up Shinjuku."

"And after that?" Naoto asked.

"Well... he seemed too ordinary to have been the guy on the radio. I guess he must have wanted to never hear about what happened there, being caught up in it and everything." Kallen said, "Poor bastard... he didn't deserve to be put on the edge like that. If I'd heard him earlier, I could have told him to back away."

"I know. I thought he was dead too, but it's glad I'm wrong on that assumption." Naoto said, "But he's alive. That's all that matters now."

"I guess you're right in that regard." Kallen said.

"And the news on Clovis's death?" Naoto asked.

"My classmates have seen it." Kallen said, "What does everyone else think?"

"Well, most of us are in agreement that all of it was too sudden." Naoto said, "It also seemed suspicious as well."

"Really?" Kallen asked.

"Yes, all of it. I mean, they think he's the one who murdered Clovis. If you ask me, I think they don't even Who the true killer is." Naoto said, "I think I happen to know who might have done it."

"Who?" Kallen asked.

"Well, we got that broad. Only god knows what they did they to her. She must have been driven towards revenge ever since we freed her." Naoto said.

"And the voice?" Kallen asked.

"It's possible that he could have done it." Naoto said, "But enough about that, how are things on your end?"

"Well... I... uh..." Kallen stuttered, "I got onto the student council."

"Ah the student council... now that brings back some good memories." Naoto said, "Make any new friends there?"

"Well, we got a nerdy science girl, a hopeless romantic with a bike, a pervert student council president, an innocent cinnamon bun, that guy Nagata and Rei met, and his sister who is a cripple." Kallen said.

"Well, I'll be- Wait, what was that last one again?" Naoto asked.

"A cripple." Kallen said.

"Oh... well... I... never mind that." Naoto said, "What about that voice, anything on him?"

"Well, a meeting location. It's the old Tokyo Tower." Kallen said.

"Right. We'll be right over there. Meet up with us as soon as you can." Naoto said.

"Right." Kallen said, "Later."

"Later." Naoto said before hanging up.

He quickly turned to see the kid looking at him.

"You know it's rude to be eavesdropping, right?" Naoto asked.

"Well You were talking to someone on the phone and I assumed it was-"

"The voice? No. It was Kallen. She's at school." Naoto said.

"Huh?!" Rei exclaimed.

"No need for alarm my friend. She's safe and sound. They only see Kallen Stadtfeld, but in our eyes, she's Kallen Kouzuki." Naoto said, "Guess I should have told you about my family so you wouldn't get confused over this."

Rei breathed a sigh of relief, "So what did she say?"

Naoto smiled at the kid and gave him a head pat.

"We're going sightseeing. Time for a little history lesson." Naoto said, "Pay attention while we're at it, you might learn something about this world and all its mysteries."

"Really?" Rei asked.

"Yes, I'll go tell everyone else, you just tag along, ok?" Naoto asked.

"Yes sir!" Rei said.

"Now now, I'm only 21 years old here. Were just friends." Naoto said.

* * *

**Old Tokyo Tower Museum**

The Old Tokyo Tower Museum was all that was left of Tokyo Tower when the war ended. A marvel of Japanese construction that was originally built to send communication signals to TVs or other devices and act as an observation tower to look over what's now left of Tokyo was turned into a museum. The tower had been damaged from the war. The observation deck was safe, but everything above it was turned to slag. Naoto remembered coming here with his mother on several occasions.

The group went inside and looked around. Rei looked at an old set of armor. It looked different from what he had seen. Looking at it was beginning to stir something in his mind. Suddenly, a flash went off in his head as images of the past came to him.

* * *

A young boy was looking at his mother who had white hair and red eyes. Her eyes had a peculiar shine in them.

_"Samurai?"_ The young boy said.

_"Yes, my ancestors used to be samurai warriors that held up honor in their skills as warriors and strategists, just like how your father's ancestors were knights who showed chivalry and compassion through their skills as warriors and strategists as well."_ A woman's voice said, _"But that's no entirely it. You see, your grandfather, my father, was from Zilkistan, the land of warriors. You could say that you come from a long line of warriors who fought in countless battles."_

_"Cool... I want to be like them when I grow up!"_ The child said.

_"Of course you would want that..."_ The woman said, _"But there are many things you could be though. Keep your eyes out for an opportunity to choose what kind of life you want to live. Once you've chosen that path, never turn back."_

* * *

He soon found himself in reality.

_'Zilkistan... a bloodline's worth of warriors in my veins... I guess I've already chosen the path of the warrior.'_ Rei thought, _'The bloodline of boundless soldiers... that's who my family was, wasn't it? I wonder if they could see me now?'_

He heard a recording going off on the speakers. He didn't seem the slightest interested in it. He looked to Naoto and saw the anger in his eyes. He looked at Naoto with sadness in his eyes.

'_Naoto...'_ Rei thought.

He remembered what Naoto told him earlier. He wasn't sure if he had a home in some country, but as he looked at Naoto, it made him feel terrible inside. Naoto started this resistance cell to regain what was lost, a home he called Japan. In a sense, Rei felt as if he was robbed of a home as well. Not only were his parents dead, he had no one else to rely on until the very moment he ran into Naoto and Kallen on that faithful night. He turned to see the rest of the group talking to each other.

"How do we even know the guy is real?" Tamaki asked, "How do we even know that he's Japanese?"

"Oh come now, if he wasn't Japanese, he would have said it by now." Ohgi said, "Besides, he saved us, didn't he? So he has to be real."

"That is true. He did save us." Minami said, "Can he be trusted though?"

"What if he's some Britannian radical?" Nagata asked, "I'm sure a radical would be much like us if that's the case."

"A radical? What makes you- oh... I get it now. You think it's the school boy from earlier." Sugiyama said, "You really think he's a radical?"

"I recognized that voice. It sounded like him. If it's not him, who else could it have been?" Nagata asked, "I'm sure the kid recognized his voice too and thought the same thing as well."

"That's what I want to find out." Yoshida said, "Can we trust him though is even more important."

"I'm sure if he's got something against Britannia, then I'm sure we'll get along just fine; just as long as Tamaki doesn't ruin it with his flap." Nagata said.

"Hey!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"You almost got Naoto killed because you couldn't keep your mouth shut." Nagata said.

"Look, I lost my cool! That's all that-!"

"And because of that-"

"Ok boys, that's enough." Inoue said as she got in between the two, "Cam we focus on why we're here?"

"Naoto Stadtfeld, your lost item has been delivered to the service desk. Please pick it up immediately." A voice on the intercom said, "I repeat, Naoto Stadtfeld, your lost item has been delivered to the service desk. Please pick it up immediately."

_'Lost item? I didn't- oh what the hell, might as well just go and get it.'_ Naoto thought.

He went over to the desk and the female receptionist handed him a black cellphone with a smile. He claimed it and thanked the receptionist before walking away. The phone began to vibrate and he looked at the caller ID. It said:

_**Zero**_

_'Zero? That's the name you're going by?'_ Naoto thought as he and the group went to the observation deck to look over part of the settlement.

He got to the deck and answered the phone, holding it up to his ear.

"Hello?" Naoto asked.

"Naoto, I presume?" A recognizable voice asked.

'It's him.' Naoto thought, "Yes, and you must be the guy who saved our skin."

"That is correct." The voice said, "I'm not inside Tokyo Tower if you're wondering."

"Decided to move the location of our date?" Naoto said sarcastically.

"Real funny. Yes I did change the location for our rendezvous. Head for the fifth Kanjo Line, the outbound line." The voice said, "Bring your friends and the little kid with you."

"And why is that?" Naoto asked.

"I assure you that this is no trick. I just thought that you could bring your friends for a little lesson." The voice said, "I'll see you when you get there."

He hung up on Naoto. He put the phone down.

"Well, What did he say?" Rei asked.

"Say kid," Naoto said as he turned to Rei, "You've rode a train before, right?"

"A train?" Rei asked.

"That's right my white haired friend." Naoto said, "Fifth Kanjo Line, that's where he's meeting us. Let's hop to it."

The group leaves the tower and make their way towards the station on the fifth Kanjo line.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate, Tokyo Settlement**

Lalah was standing in front of Durandal.

"Is it ready?" Durandal asked.

"Yes, all the audio the bug on his highnesses ring has been extracted and edited to your specifications." Lalah said.

"Can I hear it?" Durandal asked.

"Yes captain." Lalah said as she pulled out her phone and played a sound file.

_"What do you mean they got away?!"_

_"I'm sorry my lord, I let my guard down and the explosion covered their escape. We'll-"_

_"You call yourselves the Royal Guard?! Why did **you** think I told you about this?!"_

_"Guess that means the plan moves to the next phase." _

_"But sire, that-"_

_"If knowledge of her existence gets out, I'll be disinherited. __Tell the homeland that we are carrying out a planned urban renewal here."_

The sound of Prince Clovis getting off his chair was heard.

_"As 3rd Prince Of Britannia, I command you, destroy Shinjuku Ghetto, leave no one alive!"_

She pauses the audio.

"And the other bit?" Durandal asked.

"As you've requested, I've omitted the boy from the conversation with the killer and Prince Clovis. I've also omitted other parts of the conversation as well." Lalah said.

"And the parts you omitted, was I right on the dotted line?" Durandal asked.

"Yes, Lelouch vi Britannia lives." Lalah said.

Durandal smiles as he got up.

"Lalah, you are an extraordinary girl. I'd say it's only proper to call you a woman now after all you have done." Durandal said, "With this, I can finally assure that my plan will come to fruition and all shall be cleared for my goal in regards to my revenge on the Royal Family."

Lalah nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, it will all come to fruition, just as you demanded it so long ago." Lalah said, "That is the reason you saved me, to help you get revenge in exchange for your promise of giving me a bright future."

"Yes, that was our deal." Durandal said, "I was glad to have gotten you out of that terrible place when I saw you there."

Lalah looked at Durandal with affection.

"Oh captain, I-"

"No. Casval will do." Durandal said.

"But captain, what if-"

"I already locked the door." Durandal said, "No one will listen in on this. The room is soundproof."

"Oh, of course. Silly me." Lalah said, "Could you... take that mask off?"

"As you wish." Durandal said.

He took off his mask to reveal his sapphire blue eyes. Lalah felt entranced by his eyes.

"Oh Casval, your eyes are like a diamond in a sea of rough." Lalah said, "Oh how your eyes are as blue as the sky and the ocean as your hair is as golden as the sun. Truly, I am undeserving of such a beautiful man."

"As I am truly unworthy of a maiden whose beauty surpasses Aphrodite herself." Durandal said.

"Oh!" Lalah exclaimed as her face turned red, "Oh Casval, don't. You know I'm not that beautiful. There are other women who are more... attractive and appealing to other men. You know I'm not one of them. What about Cornelia li Britannia?"

Durandal scoffed upon hearing that name.

"She's nothing more but a witch. A wicked enchantress who has two of the most greatest knights that Britannia could muster up, yet all she knows is how to fight." Durandal said, "She may have a body befitting a goddess, but she acts as nothing more but a witch with guard dogs. She is nothing like you. Delicate, peaceful, and most of all, an understanding individual that sympathizes and empathizes with others. She does not possess those traits."

"Then what about Euphemia?" Lalah asked.

Durandal scoffed at that name as well.

"She lacks the courage you have when it comes to things such as this. She can't do what she believes is right because she lets her own pitiful morality get in the way of what needs to be done." Durandal said, "She maybe beautiful, but she's naive. She doesn't accept the way the world works and tries to circumvent it. A useless attempt at a fruitless cause. She's but a puppet to the puppeteer's will. She's not like you, someone who is independent and strong and smart enough to make a decision in a situation that is difficult no matter what gets in your way."

"Oh Casval... I... I'm not worthy." Lalah said.

"Neither am I." Durandal said, "I betrayed Clovis, just as Lelouch has betrayed his own nation. I am as cold and calculative as Schneizel is. I truly am a bastard who has taken many lives on the battlefield."

"But you have the heart of a Knight." Lalah said, "That to me is something that makes you worthy to anyone."

"Oh Lalah..." Durandal said, "One day... will you marry me? Be my bride? Have my children?"

Lalah looked happy.

"Yes, yes I would." Lalah said, "I'd like a dozen of them."

"A dozen? Lalah, you know that's not how it works." Durandal said.

"Even so, I-"

His phone began to ring. He went over to the phone and answered it.

"Yes, Durandal speaking." Durandal said.

"My lord, it is me, Schnee." A voice said.

"Oh? I suppose you're following the rabbit, yes?" Durandal asked.

"Yes sir," Schnee said, "the rabbit has gotten on a train on the Kanjo line with some Elevens. Should I follow?"

"No. That's enough. I can tell who they are meeting." Durandal said, "Come on back."

"Yes sir." Schnee said.

He hung up and put the phone down. He turned to see Lalah looking concerned.

"Are you sure about this?" Lalah asked.

"Yes. I've made my mind long ago since that day. The day my mother and sister died by his hands." Durandal said.

* * *

**_8 years ago_**

Casval looked in utter disbelief and horror as he looked at the burning inferno of a vehicle that crashed and exploded. His mother was shot along with the driver and his sister was near the car before it exploded. He was cut across the nose. He cried out in pure horror and sorrow for their deaths.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

"My mother was a staunch political opponent to Charles zi Britannia's Social Darwinism within the Royal Family, she uncovered the theory my grandfather had written before her demise. She made it public with her own hands. And because of that-!"

"You swore to get revenge against him." Lalah said.

"That's right... I won't stop until that man is dead along with anyone who dares to be a threat to my plan to ascend to the throne of Britannia." Durandal said, "I'll tear the foundations of his old empire and forge a new one with the principles that my mother left unto me. I can never turn back now. I've made progress within the military. Once I've gotten to the highest position of power in the Empire, I'll kill the emperor and force him to say those words."

"The words that guarantee your ascension to the throne?" Lalah asked.

"Yes... that I shall do." Durandal said, "I planned on waiting for the right opportunity to make it all happen, and now it has shown itself."

"Lelouch vi Britannia." Lalah said.

"Yes, he has the same goal as I do. He wants revenge and the destruction of Britannia. I shall use that to the fullest." Durandal said, "He shall be the instrument of my success. He will topple the order in this world and throw it into chaos, allowing me to gut the most powerful man in the world in one fell swoop."

"And then you shall bring the new world order into this world." Lalah said, "You will birth a nation that holds the ideals that your mother held."

"Yes, then all shall be peaceful under my rule." Durandal said, "and you shall rule beside me as my empress."

"That would be lovely." Lalah said.

"Yes, it certainly would." Durandal said.

The two embraced one another and held each other before kissing each other.

* * *

**Government Bureau**

Jeremiah was sitting in the office with Villetta standing next to him on his left. Standing to his right was Kewell Soresi, another loyal Purist. Diethard Reed entered through the door as he was called to meet Jeremiah.

"I guess you already figured out why you're here." Jeremiah said.

"Yes, it's about Prince Clovis's memorial program, yes?" Diethard asked.

"Yes, it was a bit too weepy for my for my personal taste." Jeremiah said, "Regardless, it was handled extremely well coordinated."

"Well, the media enjoys a tear jerker or two." Diethard said.

"Spoken like a true TV man. You did incredibly well despite the short time you had in arranging it. Your skills are one to be continually acknowledged." Jeremiah said, "It's almost as if one was expecting Prince Clovis to die."

"It is quite important for 'important people' to have memorial programs set up for them for such occasions." Diethard explained with a bow before standing up straight.

"Does that include me?"

"After this, we may make one for you Margrave."

Jeremiah chuckled, "That means I'm not that important to you until now, how very honest of you."

"I'm afraid so," Diethard replied with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

"Would you be interested in joining the military?" Jeremiah offered, "We could use more intelligence officers in our military, or maybe you could join with the SIS?"

"Sorry, I'll have to pass on that. I'm better off entertaining the media." Diethard said as he shook his head, "I'm afraid I'm not cut out for military work."

"So you prefer civilian work?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes, it's more comfy there at least." Diethard said.

"Speaking if which, you remember that Kururugi's court martial starts tomorrow?" Jeremiah asked.

"You want me to broadcast it, don't you?" Diethard asked.

Jeremiah snapped his fingers, "Spot on."

Diethard sighed, "Well, I guess I could get some patriotic Britannians in line on the roadside."

He looked at Jeremiah with sharp eyes, "Is that all?"

"Yes, very good. You catch on very quickly, yet you don't want to be in the military or the secret service." Jeremiah said before looking tense and serious, "I want his face to be clearly visible in every angle."

"My lord, some of the Elevens see him as a hero, if they try to rescue him..." Villetta said.

"Hmph! They can try. We'll have our Sutherlands out there by the transport. They try anything and they'll just die like miserable flies." Kewell said.

"Correct Kewell, they'll be executed on the spot if they try anything." Jeremiah said with a very serious look.

* * *

**Fifth Kanjo Line**

Naoto and the group were riding the train just as instructed by the voice. As Rei sat with Inoue, he began think about the current circumstances.

'It has to be that Lelouch guy that Suzaku brought up.' Rei thought, 'I know it has to be him. I mean, who else was there with me and Nagata?'

Rei never let that possibility slip his mind. It had to be that school boy who was there in the truck. It had to be him. What kept him on that conclusion was that he believed that he was still alive despite everything that happened. If he could see him again, he might be able to find out about what happened to the girl. If he could find the girl, then maybe she might help with his lost memories. Maybe she could help bring them back.

The phone Naoto has was ringing again. He checked it and saw the ID again. It was Zero. He answers the phone and holds it to his ear.

"You are on the train, yes?" The voice asked.

"Yeah, me and everyone with me is here." Naoto said.

"Good, now look to your right." The voice said, "Tell me, what do you see there?"

Naoto looked to his right, towards the Settlement, "I see a city built on a mountain filled with corpses of Japanese who were mindlessly slaughtered by Britannia."

"And to your left?" The voice asked.

He looked to the left, towards the Ghettos, "I see a city drained dry by the Britannians, the only place we Japanese are forced into by the Britannians."

"Good, now head up to the next car, I'll be waiting." The voice said.

Naoto signaled the others and they all began moving up. Rei got up and followed the others. He got caught on someone's leg and tripped. He fell on the floor and landed on his stomach. He got up to look at the person who tripped him. He did so and saw a strange, eerie light in the eyes of a man. He looked into the man's eyes and waved his hand in front of the his eyes. The man didn't seem to move for so much as a second.

_'What's wrong with him? Does he even know I'm here?'_ Rei thought.

He head pats the man, the man's hand begins to move to his head. The man scratched his head for a few seconds before moving his hand back down. Rei looked in shock and disbelief.

_'This guy-! He doesn't know I'm even here! Even when I touched him, he didn't seem to look at me. He didn't react at all. Why is that?'_ Rei thought, "Uh... hello?"

No response from the man. Rei began to consider what was going on here. The man didn't know he was in front of him, even by touching or speaking to him, he didn't notice his presence, almost as if he didn't exist to the man. There was also the red lights in the man's eyes. Was the man unconscious? No, he seemed pretty much awake. Something was off with this train. He looked to the passengers and checked their eyes as well. They all had the same red glow. Their eyes weren't shining, but they were glowing. Thats when a thought erupted like a volcano.

_'These people... are they... hypnotized?'_ Rei thought.

"Hey kid, you want me to drag you over here or what?" Tamaki asked.

"Coming!" Rei said as he followed the others.

The group went into the next car to see that it was empty but with a cloaked figure being the only one in the car.

"Are you the one?" Naoto asked.

"Yes. I am the one who led you here." The figure said with a male voice coming from the mask.

"Well that was easy." Tamaki said, "Now Who the hell are you?"

The figure was silent. The train soon entered a tunnel and the figure quickly turned to the group. Rei suddenly flinched as he recognized the figure in front of him.

_'That's-!'_

It was the figure from his dream. The same figure that was in his dream just only days ago. The man in black, wearing nothing more but a mask that covered his entire face with a cloak of black.

"I am Zero." The man said in a somber tone, "The man who can destroy Britannia."

Naoto scoffed, "Well then "Zero", Why have you called me and my guys over here?"

"I brought you here to understand my intentions." Zero said, "Do you now understand why I put you on that tour?"

"Yeah, the difference between the Settlement and the Ghettos." Naoto said, "I guess you know that those differences is why we resist."

"Resistance means nothing to Britannia. To them, terrorism is child's play." Zero said.

"Are you calling us kids?!" Tamaki said with anger.

"Calm it Tamaki. Your anger almost got me killed last time, so shut it!" Naoto said.

Tamaki quickly went silent.

"You... you set this all up, didn't you?" Rei asked.

"Yes little one, I have. I have come to tell you truth about what was behind the curtains of the Shinjuk Incident." Zero said.

"You mean that capsule." Naoto said.

"Exactly." Zero said, "Allow me to divulge this information to you, if you would allow it."

Naoto sighed with some of the regret from the incident on him.

"Go right ahead, I already know that some chick was in it and not poison gas. If you have anything regarding her, I'll gladly hear it." Naoto said.

Zero chuckled, "Very well then. The girl in the capsule is immortal."

"What?!" Naoto exclaimed.

"HUH?!" The whole group exclaimed.

"For real?! Immortal?!" Tamaki asked.

"As in, she can't die?" Minami asked.

"That's impossible!" Kallen said.

"How can that be?" Inoue asked.

"Is that even possible?" Sugiyama asked.

"You're serious about that?!" Yoshida asked.

'She's immortal?' Rei thought.

"It's true, she is in fact, immortal. I'm not sure how she obtained immortality, but the fact that she is immortal makes her impossible to kill." Zero said.

"So basically she can't die? That's it?" Naoto asked.

"That's not all, it appears she has lived for over 100 years, at that age, she would be on her deathbed right about now if it wasn't for her immortality." Zero said, "Despite that, she looks just about 16 years old."

"Eternal youth? Resurrection? What else is there that I don't know of?" Naoto asked, "Does she have advanced regeneration?"

"It's possible." Zero said.

"Wait, how do we know that's even true to begin with?!" Tamaki asked.

"I've seen her take a bullet to the head. She got back up in minutes." Zero said.

"In minutes?!" Naoto asked, "But that's impossible! A bullet to the head would destroy the brain! Are you telling me her brain just regenerated like it was nothing?!"

"Yes." Zero said, "I believe they were conducting all sorts of experiments to extract her power. But it seems someone has already done that."

He pointed to Rei, "That boy there? Her cells have been incorporated into his body."

Rei looked in shock and disbelief while the rest of the group had their mouths gaping.

"Her cells?!" Naoto asked, "Is that even-!"

"Technology has advanced very far. I wouldn't be surprised if someone managed to implant cells into someone's body." Zero said, "But in any case, he is the byproduct of such an infusion."

"So you're saying... that I'm connected to her in some way?" Rei asked.

"Yes, if I am right, you must also possess her advanced regenerative abilities as well as some levels of physical augmentation." Zero said, "In a way, you are technically a pseudo-immortal being. Her cells have made a symbiotic relationship with you, as long as you live, they will thrive as well. So in theory, if you were to be injured, the cells would do their best to regenerate your damaged body parts and they might even replace any body parts you lose."

"So if I were to cut one of my fingers, I'll just grow one back?" Rei asked.

Naoto turned to Rei with concern on his face.

"Can we not go there?!" Naoto asked, "I'd think you would rather not test that theory right now!"

"Yeah, I'm with Naoto on this, let's not go there." Ohgi said.

"And now you know why he couldn't afford the girl's existence to be released out on the media." Zero said, "Not only would he be disinherited and spark a scandal that would damage his reputation significantly, the EU and the Chinese Federation would be searching for her, high and low while showing more opposition to Britannia."

Naoto now seemed more furious than ever. The fact that all of this was done and that he didn't realize it and that he'd stolen it while he believed it to be poison gas and sparking a genocide made him unspeakably angry. Everyone else was in the same boat. Rei felt absolutely shameful about his own existence. He was the byproduct of an attempt to create a legion of immortal soldiers.

"So I'm already a weapon then?" Rei asked.

"You are still human. Just because your body has been augmented by her cells doesn't make you the monster you think you are." Zero said, "You still have a heart of your own. That is proof enough that you are human."

"I see..." Rei said.

"But then what about Britannia? You said resistance isn't going to work, so what will?" Ohgi asked.

"War." Naoto said.

Everyone looked to Naoto.

"Naoto?" Rei asked.

"You want to go to war with Britannia, right?" Naoto asked.

"That's correct, but not just go to war." Zero said, "I wish to obliterate it!"

Everyone looked shocked, save for Naoto who simply just grinned.

"Obliterate? You really want to turn Britannia to ash?" Naoto asked.

"Why are you so calm about all of this?!" Tamaki asked.

"Yeah! The Empire controls 1/3 of the world, doesn't it?!" Ohgi asked.

"Oh come on guys, what do you think the JLF has been doing? They've been scratching their heads trying to find a way to undermine the Britannians with great heaps of success and all they got were tiny pieces." Naoto said, "If they can't go all out with them, then we might as well do it ourselves."

"You realize that now?" Zero asked.

"Yes, but you're lacking something my masked friend." Naoto said, "And that's an army."

"Hm?" Zero muttered.

"You want to go to war? You'll need an army to take them on." Naoto said, "You can't take them on by yourself. You need an army of allies who can be effective, strong, stealthy, and rocking with style."

"Wait, how does the last one fit into that?" Rei asked.

Naoto looked to Rei, "We gotta mean business kid, it's all about the bravado. The more bravery we show to the world, the more people will rally to us."

"Oh." Rei said, "But where are we going to get an army?"

"Tch. There's no need. We are the army." Naoto said.

"Hm? You're joining me?" Zero asked.

Naoto turned to the group, "Well guys, how about it? Wanna join the boat or what?"

"Do you need to ask?" Ohgi asked, "I've said it once and I'll say it again. You're our leader and we'll follow you anywhere we go."

"Yeah! We're right there with you till the end!" Yoshida said.

"You'll need someone to pull your head out of a gutter." Minami said.

"You're my brother, I coming with you." Kallen said.

"Yeah, me too!" Rei said.

"Huh?!" Naoto exclaimed as he turned to the kid, "Rei?! Oh come on! You want in on this?"

"You took me in, didn't you? Besides, I already made my choice long ago." Rei said.

Before Naoto could say anything, he thought about it. He sighed after a few seconds of thinking.

"You and Kallen are becoming more and more alike every second. Seriously, what's next, gonna change you're hair style?" Naoto asked.

Kallen coughed, "I'm right here you know."

Naoto cleared his throat, "Clearly, you are insufferable for such a little spud."

He brought out a headband and handed it to Rei.

"Well kid, the headband is yours. Now put it on." Naoto said.

Rei puts the headband on his head. He looked with determination in his eyes.

"Well, guess that makes you a special member of this little band of misfits." Naoto said.

"Special?" Rei asked.

"You do realize most of us are like what? In our late 10s and early 20s?" Naoto said, "You're only 14, and that's a first."

Naoto turned to Zero, "So then, what's the first order of business then?"

"Our first order of business? It's obvious." Zero said, "We are to rescue Suzaku Kururugi!"

"Rescue Kururugi?!" The whole group said.

"Of course." Zero said, "I'll explain when we meet again at the junkyard in Shinjuku. Don't be late."

Naoto smirked, "Fine by me then. If it means that we'll look serious, then let's go for it."


	7. Chapter 6: Kururugi Rescue Operation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to CLAMP and Studio Sunrise. Please support the official release of this fanfic. Be sure to leave a review and stay tuned!**

**Chapter 6: Kururugi Rescue Operation**

**On a highway in the Tokyo Settlement**

A convoy was moving towards a courthouse where Kururugi was to be taken for his court martial. Jeremiah was looking very smug on top of his Sutherland. He was finally now in a position to gut the Honorary Britannian System with this act. He could hear the crowd on the bridge yelling at the Eleven, calling him a traitor among other names. They were venting their frustration and anger to him. As the convoy moved, there were VTOLs hanging over them with Sutherland's ready to go. Should anyone attempt a rescue, there is only death awaiting them.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

Lalah and Durandal were watching the convoy move towards the courthouse. Durandal was on the phone with Schnee.

"Is everything ready?" Durandal asked.

"Yes sir, everything is set up just the way you want it." Schnee said.

"Good, when I give the word, do it." Durandal said.

"Yes Captain." Schnee said before hanging up.

"You prepared for this day to come, didn't you?" Lalah asked.

"Why of course, you are an Overman. We must use your abilities to shape the future, otherwise, the future is just going to be the same." Durandal said, "Everyone wants something completely different, do they not?"

Lalah nodded, "Yes, it would seem so."

* * *

**Naoto's Hideout, Shinjuku Ghetto**

The resistance cell was watching the broadcast.

"There's absolutely no way they can pull this off." Tamaki said.

Ohgi was praying to god for a miracle. Rei looked determined.

_'They'll do it. They'll save him.'_ Rei thought, _'They won't let him die!'_

* * *

**Ashford Academy Student Council Building, Tokyo Settlement**

Rivalz was sitting on the table while Milly, Shirley, And Nina watched the broadcast.

"The people weigh their judgement down upon this traitorous terrorist for the slaying of his highness!" A reporter said, "This horrible man's crimes shall be judged in court while the people cry out for vengeance for their dead prince!"

_'Man, I wish that were up on that Sutherland.'_ Rivalz thought, _'He looks so cool. All I have is a bike with a sidecar and he's got a Sutherland.'_

He sighed, "Hey Milly, do I look cool in my bike?"

"Why do you ask?" Milly asked.

He sighed again, "Well look at him, he's got a Sutherland. I only have a bike with a sidecar. He's way cooler than I am."

"Oh come now, you're still cool to everyone else. Even I think you're cool." Milly said.

"Really?!" Rivalz asked.

"Yes Rivalz, yes indeed." Milly said.

Rivalz let off a hurray before falling off the table and hitting his head. Nina simply shivered.

Elsewhere in the building, Nunnally was shedding tears over the radio.

"Suzaku..." she wept.

* * *

**JLF HQ, Narita**

Todoh, the Four Holy Swords, And all the other members of the JLF watched. Kusakabe looked furious. Todoh kept his eyes focused on Kururugi.

"This is absolutely revolting!" Kusakabe said.

_'If Lady Kaguya is right, the man in black will appear.'_ Todoh thought, _'The question is who that man in black is and whether he can be trustworthy.'_

* * *

**Highway, Tokyo Settlement**

Diethard looked absolutely depressed. As if the corruption wasn't enough, that fact that he was participating in it made him feel disgusted with how his life went down this path and hoped for someone, anyone, to make it stop.

"I can't believe I'm taking part in all of this." He said with a depressed sigh.

As Jeremiah rode his Sutherland, his earpiece crackled to life.

"Margrave Jeremiah, checkpoint five reports that a vehicle is coming in towards them, what shall we do?" A Purist asked.

"Did they verify the vehicle?" Jeremiah asked, "What are we looking at?"

"Well sir... they say it's Prince Clovis' car." The Purist said.

"A comedian, huh? Tell them to let it through." Jeremiah said, "Alright, full stop."

Upon his command, the convoy stopped.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

Durandal smirked with a chuckle, "And so it begins."

"Yes, it starts here." Lalah said, "The man in black comes."

* * *

**Naoto's Hideout, Shinjuku Ghetto**

"They stopped." Minami said.

"No big deal, it's only coincidence." Tamaki said.

"No, it's not." Rei said.

Tamaki turns to Rei, "And what makes you say that?"

"Because he's trying to make himself look like a hero." Rei said, "His fall has been assured."

"I don't buy it." Tamaki said.

* * *

**Highway, Tokyo Settlement**

Diethard felt confused by what was going on before him.

"What's going on over there?" Diethard asked.

"Well, it seems a vehicle is approaching the convoy. They think it's Prince Clovis' car." A cameraman said.

His face suddenly turned to an expression of interest.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

"The convoy has stopped. Has there been an accident or was this stop scheduled?" The reporter said, "Wait no. Hold on a minute people, this is not a scheduled stop and there isn't an accident."

"What's going on over there?" Rivalz asked.

"Wait a minute... we're getting reports that a vehicle is headed for them... and they believe it's Prince Clovis' car." The reporter said.

"Huh?" Rivalz muttered.

"His Highness' personal transport?" Milly asked herself.

As they watched, they soon saw the vehicle closing in. It was indeed the personal transport of Prince Clovis.

**Highway**

The vehicle was approaching the convoy at a regular speed. In the driver seat was Kallen. Just below the highway was an old MR-1 with Naoto at the controls, watching from below. There was an armored transport below it as well with Nagata at the wheel.

Kallen looked absolutely nervous. The vehicle she was driving was a fake. All just to look like very authentic and convincing. The plan itself was absolutely ridiculous.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

**Junkyard**

Zero was standing in front of Naoto, Kallen, and Nagata, who had gathered at the junkyard. Zero gave them the plan, leaving them with a feeling of fear in them from the odds.

"You're kidding me? Right?" Kallen asked.

"No, I am not." Zero said, "The odds maybe stacked against us, but I know we can pull it off."

"But how?" Nagata asked.

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Zero said, "Further more, I need you to get this."

He holds a photo out.

Naoto smiles, "I see."

"Huh?" The other two mutter.

"They don't know what's truly in it." Naoto said, "That's our advantage."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

**Highway**

_'Why the hell did I agree to this?!'_ Kallen thought, _'Advantage my ass! I can't even stop shaking!'_

The car stops in front of the convoy.

"You dare desecrate Prince Clovis' personal transport? Show yourself!" Jeremiah demanded.

The flag of Britannia burned on the car to reveal Zero hiding behind it.

"I am Zero." Zero said.

Diethard looked interested with this man called Zero.

"Zero? As in nothing?" Diethard asked himself.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

_'Zero? Is that really the name you will go with?'_ Durandal thought, "Watch carefully Lalah, this is where the political drama begins."

"Right, Captain." Lalah said.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Rivalz looked in surprise.

"Geez, the guy looks like an edge-lord, even his name makes him sound like one." Rivalz said.

"I don't think edge-lord fits in there Rivalz." Milly said.

"What?! What do you mean it doesn't fit?!" Rivalz asked.

Nina shuttered in fear. Shirley looked dumbfounded upon hearing that name.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Charles was watching from a temple that floated in the skies of Jupiter. He smiled sinisterly.

"The prodigal son returns at last from the dead." Charles said, "Now then, what shall you do, my arrogant son?"

* * *

**Highway, Tokyo Settlement**

Jeremiah chuckled, "Well Zero, the games are over."

He shot into the sky with his sidearm, signaling the Purists to drop down and surround the vehicle. They took aim at him.

"Now then, take the mask off." Jeremiah demanded, "Or we could just shoot you now and take it off."

Zero began to chuckled. The chuckling caught the people on the bridge off guard. Jeremiah's face contorted to confusion. Zero continued to chuckle, as if this was all a joke. He began to laugh. Jeremiah was now beginning to look irritated.

"What's so funny?" Jeremiah asked.

"Why it is the irony that is this very situation." Zero said, pulling out a remote.

Jeremiah gasped, "GET BACK!"

The Sutherlands suddenly made their distance. He laughed as they did.

_'Is that liquid sakuradite?! He's gonna blow this bridge to hell?!'_ Suzaku thought.

"Trust me when I say this, liquid sakuradite explosives is the last thing you need to worry about." Zero said after pushing a button.

The back of the car suddenly bursts open, revealing the capsule that was in Shinjuku. Jeremiah's eyes widened upon seeing it.

_'That son of a-!'_ Jeremiah thought, _'How did he-?! When did he-?! How-?!'_

_'You never knew what was inside the capsule, so you all think it's poison gas.'_ Lelouch thought, _'Oh how the tables have turned on you. You don't even realize that all that's in there right now is pressurized smoke.'_

Villetta moves her Sutherland up.

"My lord, that's-!"

"I know." Jeremiah said, _'He's taken everyone in this bridge hostage! They don't even know it for a second!'_

"Wait it's-!" Suzaku stopped as the electric collar activated and sent a shock.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

"Are you all watching at home seeing this? It looks like a device of some sort." The reporter said.

"What is that?" Rivalz asked.

"It looks like a capsule." Nina said, "Judging from all those pipes, I'd say it's filled with some sort of gas."

"Gas?" Shirley asked.

"Yes, it's like a balloon, only it's made of steel and not rubber." Nina said.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

"Ah... I see. Using the container as a bargaining chip, yes?" Durandal asked.

"Why didn't you tell them about the truth of that container?" Lalah asked.

"Like I said Lalah, political drama. Right here and now, we are seeing the flames of political drama in action." Durandal said, "You night learn a thing or two about politics."

"I have no interest in being a politician." Lalah said, "I have interest in only you and your goals, Captain."

"Hmph, as I have expected from the next phase of evolution." Durandal said, "Of course, you have your own goals, don't you?"

Lalah closed her eyes, "I simply wish for a better world. If that means following you and help attaining your goals, that's all that matters in this case."

"I see." Durandal said, "I guess you really are devoted to me."

"You saved my life, that alone was what brought me to you." Lalah said, "I don't care if I lose my life, if I do so to protect you, then I will be happy to do so."

Durandal looked at Lalah with surprise in his eyes. He chuckled.

"I would rather want you to live instead of sacrificing your life for my life." Durandal said, "My heart is still in pain after the loss of my family."

"O-Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-!"

"No no. I can understand why you would say that." Durandal said, "I'd rather it be in the other way around is all."

* * *

**Highway**

"Van 6, turn up the sound, get that camera right in his face!" Diethard said.

"It's too dangerous sir!" The cameraman said.

"Gah! Amateurs!" Diethard said, "Do I have to do everything by myself?! Amateurs, all of you!"

He picked up a camera and went outside and zoomed the camera in on Zero. Now he had a smile on his face that was filled with excitement to the point where he looked zealous.

"For a single Eleven, you can spare scores of Britannians." Zero said, "Do you like my offer?"

Jeremiah gritted his teeth in anger.

"To hell with that!" Jeremiah exclaimed as he pointed to Kururugi, "He's-!"

"A scapegoat." Zero said, "The real killer hasn't been found, yet you accuse him because you thought it would be the most logical solution as well as your excuse to gut the Honorary Britannian System."

"Why you-!"

"If you want the real killer, look no further but to the man behind the mask." Zero said, "In other words, me."

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

"He's the one?!" Rivalz asked, "Why didn't he say so from the start?"

"This man called Zero, he claims to be the real assassin! But what of Kururugi? Does this revelation rule him out then?" The reporter asked.

* * *

**Highway**

"That's it!" Jeremiah said, now having enough of this, "You will pay for what you have done!"

"Go ahead, shoot me if your dare." Zero said.

'This is all a game to him!' Diethard thought, 'This is all just a big performance to him! Incredible! More! Show me more! Zero!'

"One more thing, this isn't poison gas if that's what you were thinking." Zero said.

The crowd, along with the Purebloods, recoil from hearing Zero say such a thing.

_'We are so screwed...'_ Kallen thought as her head hung low, _'We're gonna lose our advantage...'_

"If you say it's that's not poison gas, then what is in it?!" Jeremiah asked.

"It's not what's in it, but rather what was in it." Zero said, "What was in the capsule of your 'poison gas' was actually a woman who has been given with the curse of immortality."

"What?!" Jeremiah asked, "Immortality?!"

Everyone on the bridge was caught with surprise and doubt. Suzaku looked at the masked man.

_'Immortality?'_ Suzaku thought.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

The student council looked in shock.

"Immortal woman?! Wait is that even possible?!" Rivalz asked.

"I've only heard myths and legends about people with immortality. There can't be an immortal person, how would we even know?" Milly asked.

_'An immortal woman?'_ Nina thought.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

"Begin at once Schnee." Durandal said on the phone to Schnee.

"Yes sir." Schnee replies.

He hangs up, "Now to have the world listen to what they will find to be unbelievable."

* * *

**Highway**

"Clovis ordered the deaths of millions of Elevens, all to hide her existence from the public." Zero said, "Her existence is something that would forever change the whole world if her existence were to be public knowledge, so he ordered the massacre of Shinjuku to cover everything up. The people of Shinjuku had nothing to do with it, but still, they were slaughtered like animals!"

"Oh yeah? Where's the proof?" Jeremiah asked.

Speakers suddenly began to sound off.

_"What do you mean they got away?!"_

_"I'm sorry my lord, I let my guard down and the explosion covered their escape. We'll-"_

Jeremiah immediately recognized that voice amid the the confusion.

_'Bartley?! That bastard! I should have interrogated that good-for-nothing fat bastard and beaten him to an **inch** of his pathetic life before sending him off to the homeland!'_ Jeremiah thought furiously, _'That bastard will pay for this!'_

Lelouch has no idea where the audio was coming from, but he reasoned that someone had intentionally bugged Clovis in preparation for this, but who would have done it? It couldn't have been the resistance group, so it had to be a double agent. One who serves Britannia but actually intends to hinder it. But who would fit in that picture?

Schneizel was ambitious, but not to the point where he would sabotage the Empire by taking this sort of action.

Cornelia was too much of a warrior who shoots first and asks questions either never or later. She couldn't have possibly done this.

Euphemia was too nice and innocent for this kind of thing, so she doesn't fit in that description either.

He had no idea who was helping him right now, so for now he decided to play along with whatever game the master mind had intended.

_"You call yourselves the Royal Guard?! Why did you think I told you about this?!"_

_"Guess that means the plan moves to the next phase."_

_Lelouch recognized that voice, 'Clovis... so you did order it.'_

_"But sire, that-"_

_"If knowledge of her existence gets out, I'll be disinherited. Tell the homeland that we are carrying out a planned urban renewal here."_

_The sound of Prince Clovis getting off his chair was heard._

_"As 3rd Prince Of Britannia, I command you, destroy Shinjuku Ghetto, leave no one alive!"_

The audio cuts from there. There was a looming silence. No one dared to speak. Without warning, images, video, and sounds of the chaos that went on in Shinjuku could be seen and heard from everywhere.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Nunnally covered her ears, refusing to hear the horrible cries of men, women and children that screamed and cried as the sound of gunfire was heard.

_'Stop it... please... make it stop.'_ Nunnally thought as tears flowed from her eyes.

She began to remember that horrible night that stayed with her for most of her life.

* * *

_**8 years ago**_

**Aries Villa, Pendragon**

Nunnally could only look at the ceiling as she felt nothing in both her knees. She looked down to her mother and slowly reached her arms around her. Tears began to shed themselves from Nunnally's eyes.

"Mother... please... don't go." Nunnally said as she sobbed, "Mother... no... mother... mother..."

The horror and sadness built up in her was becoming too much.

"MOTHEEEEEEER!" Nunnally screamed.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

**Naoto's Hideout**

The whole group was watching everything.

"Who the absolute hell would put this on live TV?!" Tamaki asked.

"You don't think he planned this right?" Sugiyama asked.

Rei looked completely horrified. Inoue quickly saw his horror and quickly got in front of him, covered his ears and used her body to shield his eyes from what the others were seeing and hearing.

_'By god...'_ Rei thought, _'Why would they do this? What did they do to deserve this? Why did it have to be their screams? Why did I have to hear them?'_

Suddenly, he felt a flash in his head.

For a split second, he saw a girl with long brown hair sitting in a chair, covering her ears. The image suddenly faded away, but her voice lingered in his mind.

_"Mother... mother..."_ The girl's voice echoed.

_'That girl... no. She wasn't the one who helped me in Shinjuku. She was different.'_ Rei thought.

"Don't look or listen to any of it! Just look at me!" Inoue said.

"You know you don't have to-"

"He's a kid for gods sake Tamaki! You want him to have nightmares in his sleep?!" Inoue exclaimed.

"Uh oh... she's gone to mother hen mode!" Yoshida said.

"I'd be more concerned about how the hell he got all of that." Minami said.

* * *

**JLF HQ, Narita**

The members of the JLF looked absolutely livid.

"Those bastards! How dare they!" Kusakabe exclaimed.

Todoh looked in anger, _'And now the spirits of this atrocity have claimed vengeance for their deaths and their voices now heard to the living.'_

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

The entire student council felt revolted and horrified beyond words by what they were seeing and hearing. Shirley felt so sick she began to vomit in a trash can.

"Dude... what the hell..." Rivalz said, _'I know I've seen war in movies and such, but this? This is... this isn't war. This isn't war at all. This nothing but wholesale slaughter.'_

Shirley continued to vomit in the trash can. The screams and gunfire filled her ears and she couldn't block them out. Milly could only fall to her knees and cover her mouth. Nina was paralyzed in fear as she saw the horrible massacre go on. It made her fear what would happen if the roles had been reversed, millions dead, murdered by Elevens who didn't give a damn.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

Durandal smirked fiendishly, 'All bets are off. What kind of political drama will emerge from this?'

Lalah could only silently mourn the deaths of millions of innocent people and pray that they would find peace in the afterlife. She suddenly heard the voice of another girl. An image of a girl with a mane of brown hair sitting in a chair covering her ears filled her vision, but only for a split second before leaving her. Lalah's eyes dilated.

_'Nunnally... so even you-!'_

* * *

**Pendragon Imperial Palace, Pendragon, Britannian Homeland**

Schneizel looked absolutely horrified.

_'What is this?'_ Schneizel asked himself, _'Have you gone mad Clovis? Is that happened? What compelled you to think this was a smart move?! Even I wouldn't have gone this far just to hide such damaging secrets!'_

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Charles howled in laughter as heard the screams and torment of others.

"YES! You are worthy of being called my child, Clovis!" The Emperor said as he continued to laugh.

* * *

**Highway, Tokyo Settlement**

Lelouch could only space out in awe. Someone had planned this all out ahead of him. Someone planned to absolutely destroy Prince Clovis' reputation. Whoever did it clearly had a grudge against Clovis. But he didn't know who it was at all. An image of Nunnally covering her ears clouded his vision for a brief moment and heard her cry out to her mother.

_'Nunnally? But how? How did I hear her voice? Was it an illusion? No... a side effect of the contract? No it can't be that either. So what?'_ Lelouch thought.

The recording ends at long last, leaving nothing but a heavy silence. Lelouch quickly returned to reality and shook his head.

"As you have seen and heard, all that had happen was done upon the order in which Prince Clovis brought death to millions in Shinjuku." Zero said, "Everyone participating in that incident were fooled by the lies that terrorists had stolen poison gas! But even so, you happily murdered millions of innocent people! Their blood is on your hands!"

Jeremiah snapped out of the confusion and looked to Zero with anger, "He's mad I tell you! Everything he said is madness! He'll pay the price for mocking the crown!"

The Sutherlands took aim.

"Now hold on Jeremiah, you wouldn't want Orange to become public, would you?" Zero asked.

"Orange?" A soldier guarding Kururugi asked, "What's he talking about?"

"I don't know." The other soldier next to Kururugi said.

Zero tapped his feet, signaling Kallen to move up, "If Orange becomes public, there will be quite a scandal, and you wouldn't want that."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jeremiah asked.

A part of the mask folds back, revealing Lelouch's left eye that suddenly shined with a red light as a bird sigil formed in his eye.

**"You will surrender your prisoner over to us and let us go."** Lelouch said as a red light shot out from his eye towards Jeremiah's eye.

The red beam of light went straight into Jeremiah's eyes. As soon as the red light entered Jeremiah's eyes, his will was immediately suppressed and his eyes had red rings of light around his irises. He suddenly looked calm and unemotional.

"Yes," Jeremiah said in a monotone voice.

He turned to the soldiers guarding Kururugi, "Release the prisoner."

"Huh?" The first one said.

"Should we?" The second soldier asked the first.

Villetta looked in absolute shock from what Jeremiah was doing.

"What are you doing my lord?" Villetta asked.

"No one get in his way. Let him through." Jeremiah said.

Kewell pulled his Sutherland next to Jeremiah. He looked livid.

"What are you doing?! You can't do this!" Kewell said.

"Lord Kewell!" Jeremiah yelled at Kewell, "That is an order!"

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

"I don't know what's going on, but it seems the prisoner, Kururugi, has just been released." The reporter said.

Durandal smirked, "Well this is interesting, don't you think?"

"Yes, it is indeed." Lalah said.

* * *

**Highway**

Kururugi was released and walked towards Zero, who in turn was walking towards Kururugi with Kallen walking next to him. People were complaining about the situation.

"Just who the hell are y-"

The electric collar shocked him again.

"They couldn't even let you talk." Zero said.

Naoto began to unfold the MR-1 to get it to stand and Nagata started the transport up.

"Damnit!" Villetta cursed as she got in her cockpit, "If they get away, we'll lose everything!"

"Zero, its time." Kallen said.

"Well then, until next time." Zero said, pressing a button on the remote.

A purple fog bursted out and civilians began running.

"You cowardly Elevens!" Villetta said as she was just about to fire.

Jeremiah got back into his cockpit and smacked the rifle with his stun tonfa.

"Lord Jeremiah, What are you-?!"

"Stand down, now!" Jeremiah ordered.

Zero grabbed Suzaku and jumped off with Kallen.

"They're not alone! They jumped right off!" Kewell said.

Naoto fired the slash harkens into a wall. A net folded out and caught the trio, landing them into the transport. Nagata heard the trio land in the back and floors the gas pedal, pushing the transport out.

"Yes! Now we can-!"

Naoto was cut off from getting shot at by Kewell and ejects from the MR-1's body as it gets shredded by bullets.

"You imbecile! There's nowhere for you to run!" Kewell said.

"Lord Kewell!" Jeremiah said with a gun pointed at Kewell's cockpit block, "Disobey me again and there will be severe punishment on you! Do I make myself clear?! Do everything in your power to let them go!"

They managed to escape the Britannians and made it to the Ghetto.

* * *

**Old Theatre, Shinjuku Ghetto**

The entire group was gathered at the old theatre where they were debriefing about the success of their operation.

"We did it. We, the Red Moon of Shinjuku have done it." Naoto said, "We saved Kururugi's life. Kyoto must be showing interest in us by now."

"Yeah, we made the impossible possible! Just like that!" Nagata said.

"Still, that was close." Kallen said, "That would have been the end of us."

"And here I thought all out war with Britannia was a bad idea." Ohgi said, "But I guess now with him, it is possible."

"Yeah, it is." Rei said, _'That girl... the one who showed up in my mind. Who was she? She looked like a Britannian. She also seemed young and around my age, yet she has very long hair.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the interior of the Theatre, Suzaku and Zero were alone. The collar was taken off and he was no longer tied up.

"They treated you rather roughly, Kururugi." Zero said, "I suppose now you know what they are truly like."

Suzaku seemed silent. He thought about everything that happened on that bridge. It was horrible. He never thought things were that bad in Shinjuku. He just assumed something entirely different, but even the cold reality that came from what he saw on that bridge smashed through his assumptions like a wrecking ball.

"Tell me, you killed Clovis, didn't you?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, it was I that killed him. If I had let him live, the souls of the dead would go without justice served to the one who ended their lives with a simple command. I had to avenge them." Zero said.

"So it was out of vengeance then." Suzaku said, "And that gas?"

"Merely a harmless fog. Nothing more or less than that. The result was not a single death." Zero said.

"The result? I guess that's how it is for you then." Suzaku said.

"Join me Kururugi. There is no reason for you to-"

"No." Suzaku said, "I refuse."

"Hm?" Zero muttered, "And what would the reason be?"

Suzaku turned away from the masked man.

"Because... I don't agree with your methods. Results gained through your methods are wrong." Suzaku said.

"And what lead you to that conclusion?" Zero asked.

"My father." Suzaku said.

'Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi? Could his death have left some sort of impact on Suzaku?' Lelouch thought, "did your father's death change you to be like this?"

"Yeah, in a way, it did." Suzaku said, "But even so, I know Britannia can change from within. I know it can, and I'll do it."

Zero was taken aback by what he heard. Suzaku turned to the masked man.

"You think that you can change Britannia from within?" Zero asked, "You really think something like that is even possible?!"

"It's the only way I know!" Suzaku yelled at the masked man.

Lelouch now saw how much Suzaku had changed over the years. It was clearly obvious he wasn't going to get Suzaku to join him. He couldn't use Geass on him. If he did, he'd rob Suzaku of his free will, something that he didn't want to resort to. He knew nothing could persuade Suzaku now. He couldn't take off his mask either. If he did, then he'd make an enemy out of Suzaku and things would be much more complicated.

"Now if you excuse me, my court martial begins tomorrow." Suzaku said as he turned.

"Before you go, I have a message for you." Zero said.

"And what's that?" Suzaku asked.

"Lelouch vi Britannia sends his regard." Zero said.

"Yeah, I know he's alive, he wasn't-"

Suzaku suddenly stopped and turn to Zero with eyes dilated. A thought quickly went into his head. Zero saw the horror in his friend's eyes. He recognized where he had seen such a thing before.

_'Suzaku... I see. So it was because of what I said 7 years ago, wasn't it? How foolish of me. To think that I thought you didn't have the spine or simply feared that I would die trying... What the hell happened during your interrogation?'_ Lelouch thought.

_'No... it can't be. It can't be him. No! No! I refuse to believe that! Get that out of your head Suzaku! It's not him!'_ Suzaku thought as he turned away, "Thank you for saving me, at least."

He walked away and left through a hole in the theatre. Lelouch looked in sorrow.

_'Suzaku... fine then. I guess I must do this on my own. Forgive me old friend. This is the only path I know now.'_ Lelouch thought, _'Hopefully, what I've done will make you innocent in court due to a lack of evidence.'_

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

It was heard on the news that Suzaku had turned himself in and said Zero let him go. It was most likely that now thanks to Zero, Kururugi will be given an acquittal on the murder charge of Prince Clovis. Durandal smirked.

_'I guess the rabbit deserves a break after all of that. But still, I hope we meet again. I would like to go another round with him.'_ Durandal thought, _'Soon, your other abilities will awaken, including that woman's power as well.'_

* * *

**Pendragon Imperial Palace**

Nonette Enneagram was in the throne room with the Emperor. He had called her for an assignment.

"You want me to go to Area 11?" Nonette asked.

"Yes, you will head there along with Cornelia, who has made plans to go there as well." Charles said.

Nonette looked ecstatic upon hearing this, "Finally! I finally get to see Nelly after she's done fighting with the MEF! I'm sure she'll love to know that I'll be arriving to meet her in Area 11!"

"But that's not all." Charles said.

Nonette's excitement plummeted from that.

She sighed, "What else is there my lord?"

"Schneizel's Knightmare Evolution Plan is coming along nicely. Thanks to it, Britannia now has developed gone into the development of the Knight Giga Fortress." Charles said, "I'm sure you've heard of it."

"You mean that Ikaros thing that was tested in California?" Nonette asked.

"Yes, other companies are now getting into the development of these weapons along with Knightmare Frames as well. Their equipment is being applied to our Sutherlands with satisfying results." Charles said, "You are to have these weapons taken there to Area 11 immediately!"

"All of them?" Nonette asked.

"Yes... the while factories across Britannia and its Area colonies will be making these new Knightmare variants and Knight Giga Fortresses, Area 11 hasn't even started thanks to the death of my son, Clovis." Charles said, "Take these weapons to Area 11. That will put a sting in the Eleven resistance movement's morale. Once they see how far Britannia's advances in Knightmare Frame technology is, they will falter!"

"I see then, when will they ship out?" Nonette asked.

"Very soon. Make your way to California base." Charles said, "Do not disappoint me."

"I have never done so and I won't let it happen now. I shall succeed my lord." Nonette said, "All Hail Britannia!"

"All Hail Britannia!" Charles said.

And like that Nonette leaves with a smile on her face, "Well Nelly, I guess we'll meet again in Area 11 very soon."

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

Cecile was taking care of a silver white haired boy who had mysteriously appeared out of the blue in front of the trailer. He was about 17 years old, judging from his height and weight. Lloyd looked over the boy. He rubbed his chin.

"Cecile?" Lloyd called, "Remember the Club we built?"

"Yes, What about it?" Cecile asked.

"Well... I think it's time the Lancelot's sister unit comes out to play. He'll make a good Devicer." Lloyd said.

"Huh?!" Cecile asked, "But he just-!"

"Trust me Cecile, I know it seems sudden, but this an opportunity that can't be wasted." Lloyd said, "I can't wait to see the Lancelot and the Club out playing together!"

* * *

**And so Rai jumps into the fray along with the Knight of Nine.**


	8. Chapter 7: Change of Pace

**Chapter 7: Change of Pace**

**Middle Eastern Federation**

Out in the desert sands of the Middle Eastern Federation, 5 Bamides were roaming over the sand, rushing to meet a Britannian Tank division just outside the last remaining stronghold of the MEF. The Bamides were hulking steel giants. They had cannons perfect for long range combat and were equipped with machine guns for arms and rocket launchers on their backs. They aimed their giant cannons at the tank division.

"Open fire!" The commander ordered.

The Bamides fired off salvos at the Britannian tanks that unleashed their salvos at the Bamides. The tanks were getting wiped out as their shells merely bounced off the hull of the Bamides. The tanks began to pull back as they stood no chance of taking the Bamides on. Suddenly, 10 Gloucesters came out from the smoke with lances and cannons in hand with sand panels on their feet.

"Gloucesters?!" An officer said.

"They were supposed to be in Serbia!" Another officer said.

The Gloucesters were coming towards the Bamides. The Gloucesters were fast like the wind and got under the Bamides and unloaded shots into the underbelly of the Bamides. The all fell down with ease. The base exploded into flames. Standing on top of the burning base was a Gloucester that was much different from the others. It's head had two antennae pointing away from each side of the head. It was known for looking more ornate and had a white cape.

"So it's Cornelia, she did this!" The commander said before the flames engulfed him as his Bamide exploded.

The Gloucesters got away from the Bamides as they exploded and rallied over to Cornelia's Gloucester. Inside the Gloucester was Cornelia li Britannia, Second Princess of the Empire. The Witch Of Britannia as she was called by her foes and the Goddess of Victory by her allies and close friends. Her long magenta hair was like a beautiful mane. Her eyes were a lavender purple. Her lips, though they had a natural pink tint, were covered in magenta lipstick.

"Well, our work here is done. With this, Area 18 has been established." Cornelia said, "As for our next course of action."

"Yes milady, we are to go to Area 11 and take up our post there." Andreas Darlton said.

"Yes, That." Cornelia sighed, "I'm sorry for having you all clean up my brother's mess."

"No milady, wherever you go, we shall follow." Gilbert G.P. Guilford said, "As your knights and your royal guardsmen, it's an honor."

"Of course, how silly of me." Cornelia said, "Next stop, Area 11."

"Yes, my lord." Her knights replied.

She looked to the east with great anger, _'I will **kill** you Zero. Clovis **will** be avenged!'_

* * *

**Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11**

Lelouch was on his computer. He really did turn the world upside down. Now it was in complete hysteria over the masked man called Zero. News headlines reported the ongoing scandal that was 'Orange', little did they know it was all just a lie he made up to drift his enemies apart. CC was eating pizza in his room.

"You know, you caused quite the uproar last night." CC said before taking a bite.

"Well I did murder a prince and admitted it on national television. I also happened to escape with my best friend and possible enemy that I've known for 7 years now." Lelouch said, "I figured all of that would hit the headlines along with that recording of Clovis ordering the slaughter and video and footage of said slaughter."

"Speaking of which, why did you go that far in not only proving that the poison gas was nothing but a lie and that what you said was true?" CC asked.

"First of all, I never had the time to do all of that gathering." Lelouch said, "Someone must have done it and timed it well to get a huge reaction out of the whole thing, inadvertently making me more popular."

"So you simply didn't know?" CC asked.

"Yes." Lelouch said, "I do not know who they are or what their intentions are, but I will find out one way or the other."

"And Orange?" CC asked.

Lelouch chuckled, "A lie. A lie to deceive and divide the enemy. The more they think to be of great allies makes it all the more worth breaking the trust they had in each other and turn them into enemies."

"So you manipulated your enemies so they'll turn on each other." CC said, "That seems cruel."

"Sometimes, cruelty can be the best kind of poetry." Lelouch said, "Especially against an Empire that controls 1/3 of the world. I cannot show hesitation for a second in the face of my enemy."

"I see." CC said.

Lelouch suddenly felt a reminder in his head surfacing in his thoughts, "That boy. The one who claimed to have heard your voice in the capsule, Clovis said he had a piece of your immortality."

CC's brows raise in suspicion. She looked to Lelouch and stopped eating.

"Was there a mark on his forehead?" CC asked.

"No, why?" Lelouch asked.

"Then he's not immortal." CC said, "A clean shot to the head will kill him easily while I'd just get back up as if it were nothing."

"But he could regenerate much faster than ordinary humans." Lelouch said.

"And how do you know that?" CC asked.

"Well... Huh. You make a valid point. But even so, if I could meet him again and get answers out of him, I might know more about him" Lelouch said, "Does he have Geass?"

"That I'm not sure of." CC said.

"So you don't know if he does have Geass. No matter, even if he did have Geass, he wouldn't remember how to activate or know how to use it." Lelouch said, "More importantly, he called him an Overman. I heard of the theory before, but I never thought that he'd find one."

"And the theory, what about it?" CC asked.

"Basically, it says that humans will evolve into an entirely new species. Those who are destined to become Overmen will have abilities superior to the average human." Lelouch said, "It doesn't mentions Geass, but it mentions that the human brain has hidden abilities that have yet to truly awaken."

"So these Overmen are just humans who tap into these abilities, Geass or not." CC said, "And that this boy is one of them?"

"He claimed to have heard you in the capsule and he was right about you being the capsule." Lelouch said.

"Your point?" CC asked.

"That he's a vital asset in my war with Britannia." Lelouch said, "Now that I have him by my side, he will be instrumental in Britannia's downfall, but I need to confirm if he is an Overman."

"And if he actually is one?" CC asked.

"Then he shall be my apprentice." Lelouch said.

"Apprentice?" CC asked, "You mean you plan to give the mask to him?"

"Yes, In order for Zero to exist, there must be someone who can take my place." Lelouch said, "If I have a successor, then he shall pave the way for the world Nunnally wants in my steed."

"So not only do you need him for your ultimate goal, you also need him to carry out your will." CC said.

"That's not all." Lelouch said, "He shall also be Nunnally's Knight, even though I wanted Suzaku to be her Knight."

"Wanted to?" CC asked.

"He could possibly be my enemy now, so I cannot completely trust him with Nunnally. I noticed that was different about him when I was conversing with him." Lelouch said, "He didn't value himself over others and wouldn't risk his life so recklessly. The death of his father seems to have changed him. If I can confirm my suspicions, maybe I'll reconsider."

He looked to CC, "But right now, I'm going to have that boy be her knight instead until I know I can completely trust Suzaku."

"And the resistance cell?" CC asked.

"Well... they call themselves the Red Moon now. A nice name given how Kallen's last name literally translates to Red Moon." Lelouch said, "As for her brother, he seems resourceful, that makes him an additional candidate to succeed me."

"Well he did liberate me from those men." CC said, "That and he laid out a good trap for the White Knightmare."

"That is true." Lelouch said, "I'll have to watch over him too and gather some notes on him."

Lelouch looked at his clock and saw that classes were going to start. He got up.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be going to class. Be a good girl and don't leave." Lelouch said.

"Fine." CC said as she resumed eating.

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement**

Suzaku was wandering in the Settlement with nothing but a blue jacket, sunglasses, a black shirt, pants and shoes, and a duffel bag as he recalled his court martial. He was innocent of the murder of Prince Clovis by a lack of evidence. He began to think back to Lelouch's declaration of destroying Britannia and his encounter with Zero.

_'Tell me Lelouch, have you actually decided to take that path before I saw you again?'_ Suzaku thought, _'Are really Zero? Please Lelouch, I don't want it to be true. If it is true, then I... oh father, what do I do?'_

* * *

**_7 years ago_**

**Prime Minister's Office, Tokyo**

A 10-year-old Suzaku looked to his dying father in horror and sadness. His father only smiled at his son as he felt his life slipping away.

"Father... please, I-!"

"No son, it's ok... I figured something like this would happen." Genbu said.

His son looked in fear as tears came from his eyes.

"Once a man has chosen his path, he can never turn back." Genbu said, "It doesn't matter what path you take, just remember to look from within and ask yourself whether this is something you want..."

"Please father! Don't speak! I'll-!"

"It's no use..." Genbu said, "Do not let my death weigh you down... don't let failure hold you down... you must face forward... no matter... the cost..."

Genbu's eyes begin to close.

"Father!" Suzaku cries out.

Todoh and Kirihara came in, only to see what was in front of them. A crying Suzaku and a dead Genbu.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

**Tokyo Settlement**

He looked depressed and held his bag tightly, 'I know I can't turn back, but I failed so miserably. I still can't get the burden of your death off my back, the fact I couldn't make a difference in Shinjuku with the deaths of millions on my hand, and even now, I look back when I should face forward. What do I do? If Lelouch is Zero, do I continue or do I just stop?'

"Excuse me! Out of the way please!" A female voice spoke from above.

He looked up to see a girl falling down and was quick to catch her.

"Are you ok madam?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, I am, thank you." The girl said.

He puts her down. The girl's hair was rather long and pink and had two buns. She was slightly taller than him. The girl was wearing white shirt under a green-orange dress wearing red high heels. As she turned to face him, he saw her bluish violet eyes. Her body looked rather rapturous. He noticed his eyes were drifting towards her-

_'NO! Eyes up!'_ Suzaku thought as he got his eyes to look into hers, _'That was close. Any longer and she would have mistaken me for a pervert, and that's where things go wrong.'_

"I suppose your name is Suzaku Kururugi?" The girl asked.

"Huh?!" Suzaku exclaimed as he backed up slowly, "How-?"

"You were on the news." The girl said, "Oh pardon my rudeness, I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Euphemia Clyne, but please, you can just call me Euphie."

"R-Right." Suzaku said, _'This girl... she just came out of the sky like an angel. Is god deciding to toy with me or is this dumb luck?'_

Suzaku recomposes himself and clears his throat, "So uh... where do you come from?"

"Oh, from the homeland. My parents live in California." Euphie said, "Mind going for a walk?"

"S-sure..." Suzaku said as he kept his composure.

* * *

**Rei's room, Shinjuku Ghetto**

Rei was awake and went to see if the water was running so he could at least take a shower. Suddenly, he felt a sting in his right eye. He closed it shut and opened it up as he tried to resist the pain and looked at the mirror. He noticed his right eye was glowing a red light. There was also a bird sigil in his right eye.

_'What is this?'_ Rei thought.

_"It is Geass."_ A distorted voice said.

"Huh?"

Rei turned around to see a boy just like him, only his eyes had no pupils to speak of.

"It is the power of the king." The boy said.

"Power of the king?" Rei asked.

"Yes, it is your power." The boy said.

This was all too sudden for him. He had no idea who this person was, but he went with the thought of this boy as some sort of collective being made up of his memories of this 'Geass'.

"It's my power, right?" Rei asked.

_"That is correct."_ The boy said.

"Then how do I use it? What does it do for me?" Rei asked

The boy shook his head, _"It is your power, only you should know what it is capable of."_

"What?" Rei asked.

The boy suddenly faded away. His eye reverted back to normal. Rei shook it all off and went back to doing what he was originally going to do.

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement**

Suzaku and Euphie were walking around the Settlement until they heard a meow. They turned to see an injured black cat in a box. Euphie looked at the stray cat that was in the box.

"Oh you poor thing." Euphie said as she crouched down.

She started meowing with the cat. The cat meowed back to her. From there it was like they were having a conversation. Suzaku watched as the two were 'conversing' with each other.

_'Huh. Is she good with animals? Well I guess that would make sense. They sound like they are getting along just fine.'_ Suzaku thought, _'But me on the other hand... I am terrible with animals.'_

And it couldn't be farther from the truth. Every time he go up to a nest of birds, the birds instantly start pecking at him for no apparent reason. A dog once growled at him and he stayed away from it. A crab pinched him on the beach once. These instances were pretty much a curse on him. Not one animal was friendly to him no matter what he does at all.

"Hm... let's take him with us!" Euphie said as she took the cat out, "From now on, I'll call you Arthur. How's that little kitten?"

The cat meowed in agreement.

"You want to hold him?" Euphie asked.

"Yeah, I would, but I have very bad luck when it comes to animals. I doubt he'd take a liking to me." Suzaku said.

"Just this once! Just this once!" Euphie said with a smile.

He sighed, "How can I possibly refuse?"

He held the cat in his arm. The cat quickly took a bite on his arm.

"Ouch!" Suzaku yelped as the cat bit him, "Well, he's not scratching my face off, that's a good thing."

"Oh... sorry, I'll-"

"It's fine. It's not to serious." Suzaku said.

"Oh, I see then." Euphie said.

Suzaku heard 2 trucks coming by. He turned to see that Cecile was in the driver seat of the first truck.

_'That's Miss Cecile!'_ Suzaku thought as he waved his hand toward the truck.

The trucks stops by and Lloyd and Cecile get out of the truck.

"Well well, you certainly are a lucky fellow." Lloyd said, "First an acquittal and now you have a girl with you, how sweet."

Cecile pinched Lloyd on the cheek, "I'm glad you were proving innocent Suzaku."

"It's nice to you see you too Miss Cecile." Suzaku said.

"Now now, there's no need to be formal. Just Cecile will do nicely." Cecile said.

"Could you let go?" Lloyd asked.

Cecile gently releases Lloyd's cheek. He rubbed it.

"Why are you guys here?" Suzaku asked.

"Well, The first one's a secret and the second one is that we wanted you to meet a new recruit who's joining us today." Lloyd said, "Where is he?"

"Oh right, Rai! I forgot to get him up." Cecile said, "Good thing we had a spare uniform for him."

She went back in the truck. Suzaku looked at Lloyd with a bit of curiosity.

"So what's the first one?" Suzaku asked.

Lloyd went over to Suzaku's ears.

"That girl you're with? That's Princess Euphemia li Britannia." Lloyd whispered.

"WHA-?!"

Lloyd quickly covers Suzaku's mouth, "Now now, I know it's a shock and all, but it's not too serious."

Lloyd removed his mouth from Suzaku. He quickly looked back at Euphie and then back to Lloyd and looked back at Euphie before looking at Lloyd completely confused.

"If that's the princess, then where is her guard detail?!" Suzaku whispered.

"Don't ask me. I don't know. Guess that means its just you then." Lloyd said, "But let's change the subject. You see that second trailer?"

Suzaku turned to the trailer, "Let me guess, the Lancelot wasn't the only thing you built."

"Bingo!" Lloyd said, "I call it the RZX-7 Lancelot Club! But please, the Club will do."

"Why didn't you tell me you had another unit built?" Suzaku asked.

"Because you never asked." Lloyd said, "She'll be the Lancelot's sister unit, so do take care of them both, ok?"

'I don't know which worries me more, Lloyd acting like the Lancelot and the Club are his kids or that he's a sociopath who is only interested in technology.' Suzaku thought, "So what about the new guy then?"

"Oh, I found him out in the middle of nowhere in the Ghettoes." Lloyd said, "I think I might have run him over on accident."

"L-LLOYD!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"Ahahahahaha! I was only messing with you! Cecile found him passed out in front of us." Lloyd said.

"That wasn't funny." Suzaku said, "That wasn't funny at all."

"Geez, It was only a joke." Lloyd said.

Cecile came out of the trailer with a boy just about Suzaku's height. His hair was silver white and his eyes were blue. He was in a blue military uniform.

"Suzaku, this is our new recruit and partner, Rai." Cecile introduces, "Rai, this is Suzaku Kururugi."

"Hello." Rai said as he waved to Suzaku.

Suzaku waved back. The cat looked at Rai and bit Suzaku's arm.

"Ouch!" Suzaku said.

"Tough love, Eh?" Lloyd asked.

"Alright, down you go." Suzaku said as he puts the cat down.

The cat has an injured leg. Cecile noticed it and wrapped a ribbon around it.

"That should hold it." Cecile said, "Is He your cat?"

"No, he's a stray one. Poor guy." Suzaku said before looking to Lloyd, "About the Club, is it like the Lancelot?"

"Well yes, but actually no." Lloyd said, "I used some spare parts we had along some parts from a Sutherland as well as experimental components. In the end, it has the core features of the Lancelot. The sakuradite application on the other hand has to be limited due to our budget."

"So it doesn't have the same level of performance as the Lancelot?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, but it's still better than the Sutherland." Lloyd said, "Rai had a go at the simulator and did surprisingly well, clocking over 93 percent."

"Really?!" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, you and him are like godsends." Lloyd said, "Truly one of the best pilots the world could ever ask for. We had the Club fine tuned for Rai to pilot it and did some field tests and made adjustments accordingly."

"And the Lancelot? Am I still-?"

"Yes, yes indeed you are still it's pilot. Our patron was pleased with the results. You may have gotten into a tie with the white Glasgow, but in the end, the Blaze Luminous worked like a charm." Lloyd said, "We've also perfected the MVSs at long last as well!"

"MVS?" Suzaku asked.

"Maser Vibration Sword. It uses a combination of high oscillation rates and high temperature to make the blades cutting abilities more effective." Lloyd said, "It'd be like cutting through butter with a knife, only the knife is much hotter than anything. The problem was getting the right amount of charge needed to kick up the high oscillation rates for the blades to work."

"And now that's done, what's next?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh that'd be the VARIS." Lloyd said, "It's like a gun that shoots high velocity rounds with enough energy that the ammo glows."

"Like a beam rifle!" Suzaku said.

"Well Yes, but actually no." Lloyd said, "The beam thing is just a side effect from the fact that it's literally a handheld railgun."

"When will it be finished?!" Suzaku said, getting all excited.

"Sorry, it won't be due in... let's say about another week." Lloyd said.

"A week? Oh... I see." Suzaku said looking down.

"Oh keep your chin up. It'll be worth the wait." Lloyd said.

"Whoa! Hold on a second! You want to go there?!" Cecile exclaimed.

"Yes, That is exactly what I intend to do." Euphie said.

Suzaku turned to Euphie, "Whats going on?"

"Suzaku, I want you to take me to Shinjuku." Euphie said.

"What?" Rai asked.

"E-Euphie..." Suzaku said with worry.

* * *

**Naoto's Hideout, Shinjuku Ghetto**

"You want me to attend school?" Rei asked.

"That's right kid. At your age, I'm sure you're better off at school with Kallen. Make some friends, get a girlfriend, you get the picture." Naoto said, "Besides that, I think it's better you stay in the Settlement than in the Ghetto. I mean, the dorms will keep you company."

"I get it but..."

"I'll be fine. I already got you set for school. It's the same one Kallen goes to. Just remember your new surname, it'll help." Naoto said, "Remember, It's Rei Nebiros."

"Rei Nebiros... I'll remember it." Rei said, "But what about my Japanese name?"

"Oh that? Well... hm... Rei Yuki." Naoto said, "That ought to do it."

"So when do I start school?" Rei asked.

"Starting tomorrow of course!" Naoto said, "Now we just need to change that hairstyle so you don't stand out too much."

"Huh?!" Rei exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Im not gonna cut it, I'm just gonna fix it so you won't stand out too long." Naoto said, "I brought some hair gel and stuff to help move things along."

"But, do I have to change my hair?" Rei asked.

"It's necessary that when hiding in plain sight, you must look different and must be different." Naoto said.

Rei sighed, "Alright, let's just get this over with."

"Good, now let's begin." Naoto said.

And so, Naoto went to work with the kid's hair and changed it. After a few minutes of work, he was done. Rei's hair wasn't so messy like it was earlier and looked fairly orderly. It looked just like a bowl cut. Rei wasn't so keen on the design though.

"It makes me look funny." Rei said.

"Ok, sure you might stand out, but in a good way. At least people will be calling you Moe Howard, and he's a famous Britannian actor." Naoto said, "That hairstyle is kinda famous."

"But it looks stupid." Rei said.

"Oh come on, people will love it." Naoto said, "Heck, I bet the girl's will be swooning all over you."

Rei looked at Naoto with agitated eyes. As for the school uniform he was wearing, it was all black. Just black trousers, black shoes, and a white long sleeved shirt covered by a black jacket with yellow linings and a logo of the foundation that built the school Kallen was attending on it.

"This uniform is literally colored black." Rei said, "It's ridiculous."

"Just roll with it." Naoto said.

Rei looked grumpy. He didn't like the hairstyle nor the uniform he was wearing.

* * *

**Elsewhere in Shinjuku**

Suzaku, Rai, and Euphie were in Shinjuku Ghetto per her request. They were in a makeshift graveyard where the dead were mourned. Rai never knew much about the world he lived in, but upon seeing this graveyard and the Ghetto itself, it made him queazy and it left a somber feeling in his head. Suzaku never knew an actual massacre was going on while he was unconscious. Now that he knew, he felt terrible on the premise that if he had never reported the truck, he could have spared some lives, or at least, if he had woken up sooner, he would have been able to stop this by himself.

_All to cover the existence of that girl...' _Suzaku thought, _'I joined so I could save lives from being pointlessly thrown away, and yet people still died here.'_

"So... what happened here?" Rai asked.

"A massacre is what happened here." Euphie said, "All to hide the existence of an immortal being."

"Huh?" Rai asked.

"It's a long story, so I'll make it short." Suzaku said, "The girl was classified as poison gas to hide her existence and hope no one would dare to release her. When a group of terrorists got their hands on it, they decided to destroy the Ghetto entirely."

"Seriously?" Rei asked as he felt taken aback.

"Yes, it's repulsive." Euphie said, "These deaths could have been avoided if the military hadn't- no, if Clovis hadn't done anything to that girl."

Suzaku looked at Euphie with shock, "E-Euphie..."

He decided to let that go. He knew she was right to an extent. If the girl had been left alone, none of this would have happened. He began to think about that boy he met back in Shinjuku. He felt something strange from that boy, almost as if he seemed different from any other child. He turned to Rai to see had frozen up all of a sudden.

"Rai?" Suzaku called to him.

No response, Rai stayed frozen. Suzaku noticed that his eyes were shrinking in what seemed like confusion and fear.

Rai was seeing no longer a graveyard of steel pipes with names carved into them, but instead, corpses in a pool of blood were in front of him. He couldn't tell if this was all real or not. Part of him made him feel as though he remembered this before. He heard voices calling to him, but they all sounded too fuzzy to know what they were saying.

_'What the hell is this?'_ Rai thought, _'Who were those people? What did this to them? Why can't I remember anything about this?'_

He suddenly felt as if reality snapped him out of it and he was back in Shinjuku. He suddenly looked around and found out that he has returned to reality.

"You looked a bit hazy there. Are you ok?" Suzaku asked.

"Y-Yeah. It's just... I felt as if I had seen something like this before, but I can't tell where." Rai said.

"Huh?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh yeah. My memories are... they're lost." Rai said, "All I remember is my name. Everything else on the other hand is lost."

"So you just have amnesia." Suzaku said, "You really can't remember anything but your name?"

"Yeah, it's sad." Rai said, "I don't know who my parents are, whether or not I have siblings, where I was born, nothing."

"Rai..." Euphie said with a sad face.

"I'm sorry. I never thought about telling you in the first place." Rai said.

"It's alright. Some people have secrets they want to hide." Suzaku said.

He looked again at the graveyard to see an unexpected person on the opposite side of the graveyard. It was the boy from before. He quickly took off his glasses.

"Suzaku?" Euphie asked.

_'That kid from before... is he here to mourn?'_ Suzaku thought.

* * *

Rei looked at the graveyard. He felt so much sadness. The screams still echoed in his mind. As he looked at the graveyard, he felt utter anger at those who had done this. He felt horrible at the sight of this place. His right eye suddenly flowed as the sigil reappeared.

_'These people... they lived the best they could. They struggled to live a good life in this world.'_ Rei thought, _'In the end though, they died before they got old. Why? Why is the world like this? Who made it that way? Why? Why?'_

"Mother, Father... what do I do?" Rei asked.

A slight blur quickly surrounded his body. The boy didn't notice the blur surrounding him. He looked up to see a familiar face looking at him. The red light faded out and the blur vanished.

"Mr Suzaku!" Rei said as he quickly rushed to him.

He rushed over to Suzaku and quickly tackled him to the ground. Rei Hughes Suzaku tightly in his arms.

"You're alright! You're alright Mr Suzaku!" Rei said as tears flowed from his eyes.

"H-Hey! You don't have to be all weepy now!" Suzaku said, "Besides, I'm only 17. Call me mister when I've reached... actually... just Suzaku will do."

"I thought you-! And then-!"

"Hey hey. It's not like I was gonna be convicted after all that's happened." Suzaku said.

"Uh, who is this?" Rei asked.

"Well... I... don't know." Suzaku said.

Rei got off of Suzaku and gave him the chance to get back up.

"He never gave me his actual name." Suzaku said, "Then again, when we first met, everything was all a complete misunderstanding."

Rai looked with suspicion, "What misunderstanding?"

"Well... uh... it's a long story." Suzaku said as he put his shades back on.

"Bummer, I knew they didn't use R-G on the Elevens." A voice said.

A pair of Britannian students in glee. One of them had a bandanna and a camera while the other was wearing glasses.

"Hey, those are hummer rounds! Quick take a shot of it!" The bandanna student said.

"Alright, smile!" The student with the glasses said as he took a shot of it, "Gotcha!"

Euphie, Suzaku, and Rai looked disgusted.

"How disgraceful." Euphie said with an upset tone, "Have they no respect for the dead?"

Rei's eye suddenly glowed with the red light and the bird sigil as the same blur surrounded him again. Rai quickly noticed the blur surrounding Rei.

_'What the hell is that?'_ Rai thought.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Jeremiah quickly turned his Sutherland around and headed for Shinjuku due to hearing a sighting of Zero.

"Can you confirm it? Is it him?" Jeremiah asked, "Is it Zero?"

"Yes sir, Lord Kewell contacted us." A Purist said, "We'll have a cordon set up now."

"Good. Keep him boxed in." Jeremiah said.

* * *

**Monitor Room**

A few Purists were monitoring Jeremiah's Sutherland as it made its way to Shinjuku Ghetto.

"We will my lord," The Purist said before cutting the transmission, "Guess now all that's needed is for Lord Kewell to eliminate Orange."

"Yes, he must be eliminated before Princess Cornelia takes up her post here." Another Purist said.

A sword got in between them and they fell out of fear. They turned to see Villetta looking very crossed with this betrayal that had been planned and set in motion.

"You would rather kill Jeremiah than finding Zero?" Villetta asked, "You disgust me."

"But he let him get away! And what about Orange?! What if it's a codename?! What if he's being blackmailed?!" The first Purist ranted.

"Besides, if we get rid of him, then the amount of disgrace we'll get will at least be much lower than what we've had last night." The second Purist said.

"I see." Villetta said, "Nonetheless—!"

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Tamaki smacked the camera out of the hands of the Britannian student with the bandanna on his head. Behind him was Minami and Yoshida.

"Get the hell out of here you stinking pigs!" Tamaki demanded with anger.

"An Eleven like you talking to us like that-!"

"I'm not an Eleven! I'm Japanese!" Tamaki said in retaliation.

"You're wrong. Your people lost; you're nothing but beaten dogs!" The student with the glasses countered.

"Why you Britannian brats!" Tamaki said as he was becoming more and more livid.

"Please! Stop! There's no need for violence!" Suzaku as he ran right between the two.

"Wait! Hold on a sec man!" Rai said as he followed Suzaku.

"Get out of the way!" Tamaki yelled as he knocked the glasses off of Suzaku.

"Hey, That's him!" Yoshida said.

"It is!" Minami said.

"Suzaku Kururugi!" Tamaki said.

Rei came in and went over to the two.

"Wait, does he mean-?"

"No you idiot. Zero killed the Prince. Seriously, did you not pay attention?"

"Wait, Who?" Rai asked.

"Long story." Suzaku said.

"Oh... ok then." Rai said.

"Damn traitor! You call yourself Japanese?! Even after what that bastard Clovis did and the reason why he did it?!" Tamaki exclaimed.

Suzaku was taken aback, "Look, I had no idea-"

"Then maybe you shouldn't have gone looking for the damn truck!" Tamaki said.

Again, he was taken aback.

"Millions died because you had to lick Britannia's boot like a damn slave! You have **NO RIGHT** calling yourself Japanese!" Tamaki said.

"You're wrong! I-!"

"I am **NOT** wrong! You stinking-!"

Rei's eye suddenly turned red as the sigil manifested again, **"THAT'S ENOUGH!"**

He spread his arms out. The blur quickly began to expand considerably fast. A red barrier of light physically manifested out of nowhere and pushed everyone around Rei away from him. The red barrier shrunk and disappeared, leaving only the blur. Everyone quickly got up from the sudden wave. Euphie came to see everyone but Rei was knocked down. She quickly saw Rei's right eye glowing with the bird sigil. She gasped in surprise upon seeing the mark. Tamaki and the other two got up and saw the red mark in his eye.

"Uh... Rei? Your right eye... it's... it's glowing." Minami said.

"Huh?" Rei asked.

He looked around for something to give him a reflection. He saw the camera and picked it up and pointed the lenses at him. That's where he saw it. That's where he saw the mark. He quickly dropped the camera out of shock as the mark faded from his eye along with the light.

_'Was that... Geass?'_ Rei thought.

Suzaku got up along with Rai.

"Now what was that?" Rai asked.

"I don't know, what do you want to call it?" Suzaku asked.

"Um... You know what, I got nothing." Rai said.

"Me neither." Suzaku said.

"Hold on a minute! We're not-!"

Rei got in the way again, this time, the eye glowed once again.

"Kid, move aside!" Tamaki ordered.

"No." Rei said, "Haven't the dead been disturbed long enough?"

"Yeah man, let it go. Besides, one scratch and Naoto's gonna kill us." Yoshida said.

"Tch! Fine!" Tamaki said.

The trio backed off. Rei turned to the others. The Britannian students looked frightened by him.

"Is everyone ok?" Rei asked.

"Well, I feel... ruffled." Rai said.

"We're fine." Suzaku said.

"Well I'm not!" The bandanna student said as he got his camera, "My poor camera! It's got scratches on it!"

"Forget the camera! What about that little bastard?! He's a goddamn monster!" The one with the glasses said, "What kind of kid just does that out of the blue?! It was like he forced everyone back with his hands like he's got psychic powers or something! Is he even human?!"

He turned to Suzaku, "And you! Why the hell did you wait?! What kind of honorary citizen are you?!"

"Yeah! You should have just killed them!" The one with the bandanna said.

"Oh then why did you come here then? Just to snap some late photos?" Rai asked.

"What the hell was that you-?!"

Euphie got in between the boys and smacked the student, "You should be ashamed of yourselves, coming here out of glee in the face of a horrible tragedy caused by someone to hide his own horrible crimes! You have no right to speak to them that way!"

She then pointed to Rei, "And you called him a monster! Apologize to him at once!"

"Like hell I'm apologizing to him! He's a monster! Didn't you hear what those elevens said?! He has a strange mark in his eye! That's not normal at all!" The bandanna student said.

"And just because that's not _normal_ that it's ok to call him a monster?" Euphie berated the student.

The students back away from Euphie.

"You'll regret this." The student with the glasses said before leaving.

"Hey! Wait!" The student with the bandanna said.

Euphie turned to the boy and walked over to him. She looked at him with wonder in her eyes.

"Your right eye, it was glowing, wasn't it?" Euphie asked.

"Yes, it was." Rei said before looking down in shame.

"I... see..." Euphie said before smiling with benevolence, "It's ok. Everyone is different. Even you are different from everyone else."

Euphie hugged Rei.

"You... you have a family here?" Euphie asked.

"No... they're dead." Rei said.

"Oh... oh you poor boy." Euphie said.

Tears began to flow out of her eyes. Rei noticed this.

"No. It's ok." Rei said as he hugged her, "I don't remember them well enough to know who they were before I lost them, but someone real nice took me in when I had no other place to go. I'm in good hands."

"It's not that." Euphie said, "A child like you shouldn't have gone through these horrible things in the first place."

He could tell she wasn't crying because she lost someone, but rather it was because of the life he was living. He quickly understood why Naoto wanted him to go to school. He wanted him to live a normal life away from all the fighting that would come.

"It's ok." Rei said, "The person who took me in has the same feelings."

Suzaku and Rai looked at Euphie with awe.

"Huh. She makes a good mother figure." Rai said.

"Yeah... I guess so." Suzaku said, _'But I guess I could learn a thing or two from the both of them.'_

An explosion suddenly got their attention.

* * *

**Old Stadium**

Jeremiah's Sutherland was surrounded by Purist Sutherlands lead by Kewell. They had rifles and lances in hand. There were at least eight of them.

"Kewell! You bastard! That sighting of Zero was a lie, wasn't it?!" Jeremiah said, "How dare you do this to me! You filthy cowardly traitor!"

"Silence Orange! We must wipe away any evidence of our disgrace before Princess Cornelia takes up her post here." Kewell said, "I'm sorry, but this has to be done. You must be eliminated."

Jeremiah gritted his teeth,_ 'Lady Marianne... Sir Lelouch... Lady Nunnally... forgive this servant of the house of Vi Britannia. This seemed like the place for me to die.'_


	9. Chapter 8: New Changes

**Chapter 8: New Changes **

The Purebloods had Jeremiah surrounded on all sides. All 8 of them, with Kewell as the leader, is now poised to kill Jeremiah.

"Kewell! You bastard! That sighting of Zero was a lie, wasn't it?!" Jeremiah said, "How dare you do this to me! You filthy cowardly traitor!"

"Silence Orange! We must wipe away any evidence of our disgrace before Princess Cornelia takes up her post here." Kewell said, "I'm sorry, but this has to be done. You must be eliminated. That's how we stay honest with our officials."

Jeremiah gritted his teeth, _'Lady Marianne... Sir Lelouch... Lady Nunnally... forgive this servant of the house of Vi Britannia. This seemed like the place for me to die.'_

* * *

**Elsewhere in Shinjuku**

The two ASEEC trailers pulled over to the group. Cecile And Lloyd got out.

"Suzaku, Rai, we have to go!" Cecile said, "Its too dangerous here!"

"Too dangerous?" Rai asked.

"The Purebloods are having a silly squabble." Lloyd said, "While it's not my problem, we should just leave and pretend the incident never-"

"Wait!" Suzaku cried out to Lloyd, "Wouldn't this be a great opportunity to test the Lancelot?"

Lloyd looked at Suzaku with glee, "I guess you make a valid point."

Cecile looked worried to Suzaku. Rei looked at Suzaku with dilating eyes. Suzaku looked to Rei, only to see his shocked expression.

"K-Kid? Are you-?"

Rei snapped out of his state of shock, "I'm fine."

Suzaku looked to Lloyd. Lloyd had the activation keys out as he smiled in glee.

"Catch, boyo!" Lloyd said as he tossed the keys off to Suzaku.

He caught the keys and held it tightly. He pressed a button and opened the trailer's hatch. He went to the back to see the Lancelot was equipped with two scabbards of what he believes to think are the MVSs. He went inside the trailer, went over to the cockpit block, and opened the cockpit hatch. The chair slid out and he got on the chair before sliding the chair in and closing the hatch. Lloyd lobbed a the key of the same appearance to Rai. He caught it and had time to observe it.

He pressed a button and opened the second trailer's hatch. The Lancelot Club came out from the trailer and Rai went over to it. It definitely had the same features as the Lancelot with the exceptions of the shoulders being shorter, the scabbards for the MVSs were different, the head having a singular blue horn, and the fact it was colored blue. He opened the hatch, pulled the chair out, got in the chair and slid it in, closed the hatch, and put the key in.

The two Lancelots activated and detached from the trailers and headed out. They walked out of the trailer with the Club bringing a customized assault rifle out. The landspinners folded down from the legs and the Lancelots wheeled off. Lloyd looked ecstatic as they wheeled off.

* * *

**Old Stadium**

Jeremiah parried a charge from Sutherland and forced it back while another was charging from behind. He narrowly avoids the attack and trips the Sutherland over. Another Sutherland started shooting at him. Jeremiah avoided the incoming bullets, but just as he had his rifle ready, a grenade was fired and hit his rifle, forcing the Margrave to abandon it before it exploded. He brought the stun guns in his tonfas out, only for Kewell to knock Jeremiah's arms down.

"Don't worry, we'll say you died in battle. Your family won't be disgraced." Kewell said.

Jeremiah knee damn well what that meant. It meant that Kewell really does mean to kill him.

"Kewell! You damn bastard!" Jeremiah cursed.

Kewell backed away. The Sutherlands fire their harkens and immobilized Jeremiah.

"Be silent, Orange! We serve the Imperial Family! Why else are we here?!" Kewell said, "Your time has come to an end!"

"All Hail Britannia!" The Purebloods howled as they charged for the killing blow.

A burst of bullets forced the Purebloods into breaking formation. Kewell looks to whoever dared to intervene. It was—! It was the Lancelot and the Club!

"Enough!" Suzaku said, "We're all on the same side!"

"That's the advanced weapon, Lancelot!" Jeremiah exclaimed.

"And Club!" Rai added.

"And... Club?" Jeremiah said in confusion,_ 'Huh... guess a second unit was made and no one knew of it.'_

"The Special Corps?! What do you want?!" Kewell asked, "Interlopers will die!"

"No! I refuse to let this senseless battle go on!" Suzaku said as the scabbards tilted down and grabbed the hilt of his swords before pulling them out.

The MVSs began to charge up and turned red as the blades closed up. The Club stows the rifle and pulled out two MVSs, only they were much shorter. Rai charges the MVSs up and connects them, turning the two into a double blade lance before bringing the rifle out again.

"They perfected the MVSs I heard so much about..." Kewell said, "Not that it matters. Fire!"

The Sutherlands began firing on the two. The two units jumped off in two directions.

"I'll take the guys on the right, the ones on the left-"

"Are mine?" Suzaku asked.

"Bingo!" Rai said.

Rai fires his assault rifle at the Sutherlands. The Sutherlands dodged the bullets as they continued firing at the Club. The Club was faster than anything they had fought. It didn't surpass the Gloucester, but it's speed was much better than the Sutherland. Rai spun the lance and went in to attack the closest Sutherland. Rai swings the lance, cutting both arms from the Sutherland as well as cutting it across the abdomen, forcing the Purist to eject before the Sutherland exploded. Rai blocked the incoming shots with the Blaze Luninous before firing a slash harken at another Sutherland. The harken knocks the rifle out of its hand. Rai fires a grenade from the grenade launcher. The grenade hits the Sutherland's head and explodes, destroying the head and causing the Knightmare to shut down.

"Go for the head! It's their weak spot!" Rai said.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Suzaku said as he decapitated a Sutherland with his MVSs.

The Sutherland fell down on its knees. Suzaku came at another one and slashed the incoming harkens.

"We're all on the same side!" Suzaku yelled as he charged.

"Don't panic! Take him out!" Kewell said, "We can still kill Orange!"

He made for Jeremiah and attacked him. Jeremiah blocks the lance with a tonfa and struggled before Villetta's Sutherland jumped in and knocked Kewell back. Kewell got back from the two Sutherlands.

"Lord Jeremiah!" Villetta called.

"Villetta! You..." Jeremiah said.

Rai decapitated his last Sutherland before turning to the three remaining Purists.

"So, want to call it off?" Rai asked.

"It's over Kewell. Your attempt has failed miserably." Jeremiah said.

"Want more?" Suzaku asked.

Kewell knew the odds have been stacked against him, but he has one last card left to play.

"Stand down men." Kewell said.

The Sutherlands spread out.

"Kewell..." Villetta said.

"You understand then?" Suzaku asked.

A tab on the Sutherland's legs slid out to reveal a chaos mine.

"That's what you think, you simple minded Eleven!" Kewell said as he tossed it.

"Kewell no!" Jeremiah exclaimed.

The reason he did was that Euphie ran out and called for an end to the fighting. Suzaku And Rai huddled up and projected their shields to shield everyone from the incoming shrapnel being flung at them by the chaos mine. They did their best in deflecting the shrapnel. All the shrapnel was deflected and the chaos mine was out. Not one piece of shrapnel got through. The chaos mine hits the ground.

Rei come out from the other entrance of the stadium and shot a rocket at Kewell's Sutherland with a rocket launcher he took from the hideout. The rocket hits Kewell, getting his attention. Kewell didn't hesitate to point his rifle and fired at the boy. Bullets shred the boy. The boy falls down as a pool of his own blood formed out of his body. Suzaku was angered by this and was quick to disarm Kewell by cutting both of Kewells' hands off. Rai held his rifle to Kewell's cockpit.

"You bastard! That was a kid you just shot! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Rai exclaimed.

"Did you forget?! Interlopers will die! That's exactly what happens when you interfere in something that doesn't involve you!" Kewell said.

"Why I oughta—!"

"Wait! Look!" Villetta said, pointing to the boy's body.

Everyone's eyes were on the boy. They soon saw something they couldn't believe was happening. The boy was struggling to get up. The bullets of a Knightmare assault rifle were about the size of a 25mm caliber. A bullet of that size is enough to kill an ordinary person with relative ease in only a few shots, and yet, the boy was getting up from his wounds. While they had no idea how it was happening, Lloyd and Cecile were there to actually see what was going on.

_'His cells... they're regenerating at a much faster pace than any normal human being could achieve...'_ Lloyd thought, _'A normal person would have just been dead, but he's still alive... Wait a minute!'_

A thought soon entered Lloyd's head. He soon began to understand what was going on.

"I see. It all makes sense now." Lloyd said.

"What is it Lloyd?" Cecile asked.

"His cells... his cells have super-regeneration abilities." Lloyd said, "So what Zero said about the girl was true."

"You mean her immortality?" Cecile asked, "Her immortality has to do with her cells?"

"Yes, most likely, Prince Clovis wanted to turn it into a weapon. And the result is right in front of us." Lloyd said, "A human being augmented with her cells that could rapidly heal wounds much faster than any human could."

Rei figured that his body was regenerating. He still felt the pain of the bullets that shredded his organs and crushed his bones. There was pain as he regenerated. He felt the pain of his regenerating body as his bones were reconnecting, as his blood vessels were stitching themselves back together, as his muscle fibers were reconnecting, as his nerves were reconnecting. His body soon finished regenerating and he got on his knees, taking some deep breathes.

_'So... I really have super-regenerating abilities... that's good to know. I didn't know if it was true or not, but now I know that I can heal myself better than most people.'_ Rei thought.

Kewell was in absolute shock. Never before did he see this kind of regeneration before in his life. He was left in a state of catatonia. Rai and Suzaku were shocked as well.

_'That boy... he got back up... but how?'_ Suzaku thought, _'Could it be that what Zero said about the girl was true?'_

"That's inhumanly possible. He should be dead." Rai said to himself.

"By god..." Jeremiah said, "I never thought I live to see the day a human being can do that."

"Me neither, my lord." Villetta said, "What do we do? Do we report this?"

"I'm not sure Villetta, I'm not sure." Jeremiah said.

Euphie watched as the boy got back up. She never thought that such abilities were possible, yet here these abilities have been shown to her. She stopped looking at the boy and looked serious.

"Everyone, lower your weapons at once!" Euphie said with a commanding presence in her voice.

Everyone looked to her. She moved past the Lancelot as all eyes were on her.

"I am Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Holy Empire of Britannia! As soldiers of Britannia, I order you to drop your weapons at once! This I command as Princess!" Euphie said.

Everyone looked in shock with the exception of Lloyd and Cecile.

"We—! We're sorry you're highness! Please forgive my actions!" Kewell said as his Knightmare got on one knee.

All the other Knightmares did the same and put one arm across the chest. Suzaku got out of the Lancelot and took a wire down to the ground. He rushed to her and kneeled.

"Your highness, are you—!"

"Suzaku," Euphie said, turning to him, "You and I have lost someone in our lives. My brother Clovis and your father, Genbu Kururugi, the late Prime Minister Of Japan."

"Euphie..." Suzaku said.

"It's alright, I already know that you knew." Euphie said.

She turned to Kewell with anger in her eyes. Kewell suddenly went on two knees and bowed before her.

"Please your highness! It was never my intention! I—!"

"Enough." A voice commanded from behind Kewell.

Everyone turned their attention to the other large exit in the Stadium. A red Lancelot soon came out from behind. It had a rack of 12 swords, 6 on both the left and the right. It had a device on its wrist, but it didn't look like the Lancelot's Blaze Luminous shield generators.

"A red Lancelot?" Suzaku asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm shocked Kururugi, I'd thought you'd remember me." The pilot said.

The red Lancelot stopped. The hatch opened and the chair slid out. The person stood up to reveal that it was none other than Durandal.

"Captain Durandal?!" Suzaku asked.

"Durandal?! The Red Comet?! Here?!" Kewell exclaimed.

"Red Comet?" Rei muttered.

"The man known to have slaughtered five enemy squads all on his own. A veritable Red Comet indeed." Lloyd said, "And he's piloting the Lancelot Grail that I heard about all day."

Durandal looks to Rei and noticed the blood on him.

_'Just as I thought, your regenerating abilities must have saved your life.'_ Durandal thought, "I'm impressed Kururugi, you're skilled as I thought you were. Not even the Purebloods can top you over."

Kewell gritted his teeth.

"You certainly got what it takes to go far." Durandal said, "I hope to see you when you've become a knight, if Cornelia will let you that is."

He got back inside the Grail and turned around before leaving. Rei watched as Durandal was leaving.

_'Durandal... I will get you Durandal! I'll defeat you!'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement**

Cornelia li Britannia stepped out of the transport with her two knights by her side. Every official was gathered for the arrival of the new Viceroy. Euphemia approaches her sister. She was now wearing her white dress that was ornately designed for a Princess.

"I am sorry sister, I did not mean to worry you." Euphemia said.

"I know Euphie, but for now on, its Viceroy, Sub-Viceroy." Cornelia told her sister before turning to the vice-minister, "So, What is the first order of business?"

"Well, we had welcoming par—"

She quickly pulled her rifle sword out and shot the vice minister between the eyes, killing him instantly with a head shot. He fell to the floor with all life fading from him. Everyone was quickly shocked, save for Darlton and Guilford. There was nothing but silence.

"Old, senile, corrupt..." Cornelia said with anger immediately building in her voice as her face contorted to anger, "I want the enemy of the Empire caught! Find Zero! Find him and capture him! BRING HIM TO ME!"

* * *

**_The very next day..._**

**Ashford Academy**

Rei couldn't believe it. He was in school. He was lucky for Princess Euphemia setting the child up to be put in school and Naoto ensuring that he would fit in nicely. He was quickly introduced to his class. He was in his Ashford Academy uniform with his bowl cut hair.

"Now class, this here is a new student who will be joining us," a male teacher said, "Now your name please?"

"Rei Nebiros." Rei said.

"Alright then Rei, your seat is over there." The teacher said, pointing to an empty seat.

He went over to the empty seat. While he was doing that, Lalah was looking at him, feeling a warm pressure coming from him. He soon felt a warm pressure coming from Lalah and the two looked into each other's eyes. As they looked at each other, it was almost as if they knew each other from before. They haven't greeted each other, but they felt like that they've known each other. Rei walked over to his seat and sat in it. The two couldn't help but feel a strange connection forming between them.

_'That girl...'_

_'That boy...'_

_'Why does it feel like we met before?'_ Rei and Lalah thought to each other.

* * *

**Elsewhere in Ashford Academy**

Suzaku and Lelouch were on the roof of the Academy.

"You know, it's been a long time since you used that signal before." Suzaku said.

"And yet, you still remember it." Lelouch said, "And here I thought you were very lousy at remembering things."

"Oh come on man, I don't forget that easily." Suzaku said, "But enough about the past, what about the girl?"

"The girl? You're still worried about her?" Lelouch asked.

"Of course I am." Suzaku said, "Is she really—"

"Yes. She is immortal." Lelouch said, "She has lived longer than any of us ever dream of."

"Oh..." Suzaku said.

"What's wrong?" Lelouch asked.

"Well it's just that... I feel bad for her. She was probably used as some illegal experiments and all I was doing was aiding in their cover-up." Suzaku said.

"Oh come on now, you didn't know, I didn't know, no one knew. How can you blame yourself for something like that when you didn't know the truth?" Lelouch asked.

"Lelouch, there's blood on my hands, all because I had to go and look for that stupid capsule." Suzaku said, "If I'd— If I didn't find it, would it have still happened?"

Lelouch took his time to consider the question. He knew it wouldn't have mattered if the capsule was found, Clovis would have ordered it anyway.

"Sadly, I don't think it would have mattered. Clovis would have ordered it anyway." Lelouch said.

"I... see..." Suzaku said.

Lelouch sighed, "Everyone makes mistakes Suzaku. Everyone makes mistakes."

"I know... Its just that..." Suzaku paused.

"Forget about it. Its in the past. Sometimes you just got to move forward." Lelouch said.

"I... I guess you're right." Suzaku said, "Do I still call you Lelouch?"

"Well I'm dead in the eyes of Britannia according to their records, just Lelouch Lamperouge will do." Lelouch said.

"And Nunnally?" Suzaku asked.

"She goes here, shes just in the lower years is all." Lelouch said, "Oh and I live here."

"Huh?" Suzaku asked.

"The Ashford Family has a history with my mother. Since we're on such good terms, they've let me stay in the Student Council building." Lelouch said.

"Oh... I thought you lived in the dorms." Suzaku said.

"Those places are crowded, no way in hell would Nunnally going to live in there." Lelouch said.

"I see." Suzaku said, "Say, does Nunnally have any friends here?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh yeah, she's a friend with everyone in the student council. And I'm the vice president." Lelouch said.

"Does she have anyone she... really likes?" Suzaku asked.

Lelouch looked at Suzaku with a demonic death glare.

"Do you want to die, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked, "If so, I'll toss you off this building."

"N-No thanks... I'm good." Suzaku said with a worrying look on his face, _'He hasn't changed at all.'_

* * *

**Out on Campus**

Rei was outside since his first class was over. He saw Lalah over by entrance of the chapel.

'That girl from before...' Rei thought.

Lalah turned to see Rei. She motioned her head to follow her. He decided to follow her. The two went inside the church. CC was watching over the two children.

"I wonder..." CC said, "Yes... It must be him."

Inside the church, the two were alone. Rei looked into Lalah's eyes as she looked into his.

"Who are you?" Rei asked.

Lalah could only chuckle, "Why I'm the one who helped you in Shinjuku."

"Huh?! It was you?!" Rei asked.

"Yes. I recognized you the moment I saw you and heard your voice." Lalah said, "I am Lalah. Lalah Amalia."

"And I'm-"

"Rei Nebiros, or maybe Rei Yuki, or just Rei." Lalah said.

"Wha- how did you-?"

Lalah chuckled, "You're not the only Overman in this room, my poor snowflake."

"So you're an Overman too?" Rei asked.

"Yes. You and I are humans who have evolved to the next step in human evolution." Lalah said, "However, my evolution and your evolution is different. You were forced to fight against others, thus your abilities were more combat oriented than my abilities, which are the result of my time at a scientific institute."

"So even though I am not the only one, we are both different?" Rei asked.

"Yes, but that means nothing. You and I are human, we are Overman. It matters not what our origins are." Lalah said, "We can understand one another while overcoming many obstacles and know about each other."

"Like what?" Rei asked.

Lalah chuckled, "Like this being the first time you have spoke to a girl before."

Rei looked surprised. Lalah giggled. Rei blushed as he turned away from her.

"But I believe we can continue this conversation after all our classes are over." Lalah said, taking Rei's hand and walking out with him.

CC watched the two teens leaving the church.

"There's no mistaking it, its him." CC said, "He's the boy Lelouch is after."

* * *

**In the hallway**

Rei and Lalah were headed for their next class and saw Nunnally along the way.

"Oh! Nunna! Nunna!" Lalah said.

Nunnally turned her attention to Lalah.

"Ah, Lalah. What is it?" Nunnally asked.

Rei saw Nunnally and quickly looked surprised.

_'Her eyes! And that's a wheelchair... Is she... a cripple? And whats with her eyes? Why are they closed?'_ He thought.

"Its the new transfer student that joined our class." Lalah said, "Rei, this is Nunnally. Nunnally, Rei."

"Oh! Rei Nebiros, right?" Nunnally asked with a smile, "I'm Nunnally Lamperouge."

"Nunnally Lamperouge..." Rei said, "Say, your eyes, why are they closed?"

There was a dead silence in the room. Nunnally looked towards Lalah's direction and frowned a bit.

"Lalah, did you forget to tell him I was blind?" Nunnally asked Lalah.

"Wait, blind?!" Rei asked in immediate shock.

"Yes." Nunnally said with a nod.

Loads of regret was heaped onto Rei's back like a 50-pound weight. He never met a disabled person before and this was clearly the first time he actually met a disabled person. He accidentally insulted her and she probably picked up on it and ignored it to just to hide the anger from him.

_'Oh why did I ask that question?! What is wrong with you Rei?! Are you trying to make an enemy with her?! Apologize to her!'_ Rei thought, "I'm sorry! I didn't—!"

"No no, It was my fault, I should have—"

"No no. It's fine. Most people assume my eyes are either squinted or closed by a common mistake." Nunnally said as she raised her hand, "As you can see, I am both crippled and blind because of a major accident that my mother died in."

Rei's face contorted to one of sympathy. He knew the feeling of losing his parents, even if he didn't remember much about his past, his family, or himself. He knew what it was like to lose a member of a family.

"O-oh... I see..." Rei said, "I'm sorry I didn't know."

"It's ok." Nunnally said, "It's not entirely bad."

Lalah places her hand on Rei's shoulder.

"That's right. She was only blinded due to trauma of her mother's death. She'll be able to open her eyes again in due time. Her legs on the other hand..." Lalah said, "I'm afraid they'll never heal."

"Oh..." Rei said.

"Come along now, we have classes to attend to." Lalah said.

"Oh Yeah!" Rei said, "Later Nunnally!"

The two went off to class. Nunnally followed the two with a smile.

* * *

**Elsewhere in Ashford**

"Huh?!" Kallen exclaimed on the phone.

"Yeah, apparently a Princess of Britannia set the kid up for school apparently." Naoto said, "I don't know what went through her head, but I guess it must have been what the guys told me."

"About Rei having superpowers all of a sudden." Kallen said.

"Yeah... something like that." Naoto said, "That and the fact that he managed to somehow recover from getting shredded by 25mm bullets."

"Somehow recovered?" Kallen asked.

"Yeah, kid told me what happened." Naoto said, "Apparently, he intervened with some internal conflict with the Purebloods and got shot to hell, only to regenerate like it was nothing at all."

"Seriously?" Kallen asked.

"Yeah, it sounds unbelievable. Yet, he managed to recover from getting shredded to pieces." Naoto said, "Still, I'm a bit shocked from it all. The kid must have been shocked as well."

"I guess he would." Kallen said, "I'll meet with him when so get the chance."

"Alright then, later." Naoto said.

"Later." Kallen said before she hung up, _'Rei's in school... good for him. At least he can find and make some new friends for a change.'_

* * *

**Hangar Bay, Goverment Bureau**

Cornelia was walking on the catwalk with Lloyd as he was going over the Lancelot. She noticed a Gloucester that was painted pink and white. The entire body had a white-pink color scheme. The cockpit block was pink as well. It was also ornately designed. Unlike her Gloucester, this one had a regular head.

"That white-pink Gloucester, who's it for?" Cornelia asked.

"Why that's Princess Euphemia's Gloucester." Lloyd said.

"Euphie— I mean the Sub-Viceroy's Gloucester? Why does she need a Gloucester?" Cornelia asked out of concern, _'I know her better than this. She wouldn't hurt anyone, least of all a fly for that matter.'_

That **was **true. For the most part, Euphemia never had any desire to be a warrior as she was more of a pacifist. Euphie viewed war with great opposition. It was only a cycle of pain and loss followed by hate and rage and leaves sorrow and destruction. For her to pilot a Knightmare was unheard of.

"Don't ask me, ask her." Lloyd said, "So about the Devicers in the ASEEC Corps—"

"I'll have them promoted to Warrant Officers. That will keep Kururugi and Rai satisfied." Cornelia said, "I simply wish not to rely on Numbers to attain victory."

She was the Goddess of Victory after all. She didn't need Numbers to win a battle for her. She already has her own troops under her command who can help her attain victory, of course she would let her subordinates get the credit for a victory. In the end, she was praised as the Goddess of Victory for her skills and tactics. She detests numbers for a good reason as well, one that was more personal than just going along with the norms of Britannian society.

"I see." Lloyd said, "Then you wouldn't want them to rescue you in a time of need?"

Cornelia squints her eye at Lloyd, "Is that a joke?"

"Maybe..." Lloyd said.

"Well it's not funny." Cornelia said, "You are just a bunch of irregulars, all you have to do is do as you're ordered, even if my brother Schneizel is your patron."

"Uh-Huh..." Lloyd said as the Princess turned away and left, "Well just so you know, the Knight of Nine is coming to Area 11."

Cornelia stopped. Her eyes dilated. She turned to Lloyd with some fear in her eyes.

"Surely... surely you are jesting, yes?" Cornelia asked.

"And if I said no?" Lloyd asked.

Cornelia didn't answer. She walked away from Lloyd. There was sweat coming down. She wiped it with a handkerchief she personally keeps onto herself. She knew the Knight of Nine damn well from when they first met in the academy before said knight was actually promoted into the ranks of the Knights of the Round, the strongest knights Britannia had to offer. She **feared** the Knight of Nine for a very good amount of reasons aside from seeing her skills up close and personal.

_'Of all the people there are to come here, why her?'_ Cornelia thought to herself, _'Did father ask her to come here? Is that it? No! If I can kill Zero and crush this resistance the Elevens are putting up, then she won't have an excuse to be here!'_

"Your highness?" Lloyd asked.

"As you were!" Cornelia said.

"Ok then." Lloyd said with glee.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Charles was on the temple. A hooded man came up onto the temple.

"Your majesty, the remains have arrived." The man said.

"Huh, I was just done conversing with Clovis." Charles said, leaving the man in confusion, "The project must continue without delay."

"Yes your highness." The hooded man said before leaving.

As the hooded man left, a little boy with the long blonde hair and pink eyes came onto the temple.

"So Charles, it seems your rebellious child is becoming more like you with every second." The child said.

"Which me are you referring to, dear brother?" Charles said as he turned to the boy, "The me that was a fool? Or the me that I am now?"

"How about a little bit of both?" The boy said.

Charles laughed, "Both? Really now?"

The boy looked serious. Charles noticed the ease was dying down.

"He's becoming a problem." The boy said, "Charles, if he finds out about Ragnarok, we're finished."

"You worry too much." Charles said, "All that matters is finding CC, waiting for the right moment to start Ragnarok, and making sure it works as planned."

"There is another obstacle in our path." The child said.

"You mean the Zilkian child?" Charles asked, "His memories have been lost due to the stress of his escape, were they not?"

"True, but he'll remember in due time. If we can get to him before then, we'll be fine." The child said, "If we can kill him—"

"Without making a fuss." Charles corrected the child.

"Charles! This is serious!" The child pouted, "Whats wrong with sending an assassin onto him?!"

"He'll just kill every assassin you send." Charles said, "Even that Rolo will not be able to kill him."

"Even if I give him the neutralizer of the CC cells?!" The child exclaimed, "Isn't that why we even integrated said cells into that bastard child to begin with?! To find some way of putting an immortal down while keeping the Code intact?!"

"It is all part of the plan. He is unsuspectingly dancing to our tune." Charles said.

The child didn't look convinced.

"Unsuspectingly dancing to our tune? Yeah sure. He'll kill Cornelia, if he could keep up with her." The child said.

"And what about that other fellow?" Charles asked.

"What other fellow?" VV asked.

"You know, him." Charles said.

VV frowned when he figured who Charles was referring to.

"That child that I didn't know was actually yours?" VV asked, "He erased his memories all because he **_accidentally_** lost control of his Geass and technically killed his mother and sister on **_accident_**."

"Well, it appears that Clovis found him and had him put under his silly little project." Charles said, "Now that he is up and about, once he remembers how to use Geass and make it strong enough to take CC's code, all will proceed as planned."

"And It will end pretty damn bad considering that you are a terrible father." VV said, "And you said having a lot of children wasn't a big deal."

"Do not worry VV. Ragnarok is in capable hands." Charles said, "All that is needed is to crush all the obstacles and ensure the plan runs smoothly."

"And how do you know Ragnarok will succeed?" VV asked.

Charles smirked, "Because the Ragnarok Connection is inevitable."

"Not everything is inevitable Charles. Not everything." VV said, "It would behoove you to remember that."

Charles chuckled, "That I will."

* * *

**In the Sky**

Bartley was strapped into a prison uniform and was restrained.

_'Prince Clovis' name is ruined by those accursed Eleven rats. That damn girl has brought nothing but ruin.'_ Bartley thought, _'I fear an even worse punishment awaits me than imprisonment.'_

* * *

**Marshal Island Base**

Three Somersets and a Sutherland Ikaros were on the runway of the base. The Somersets were piloted by Sol Squadron, who had painted their units the black-brown-orange color scheme. Mihaly was sitting in his cockpit. His grey hair was ragged. His brown eyes looked darker. He coughed as he sat in his chair. He cursed his illness, trying to keep him from flying in the sky. He never let anything, let alone his condition stop him from flying. The 60 year-old war veteran still had much to teach the new generation of pilots. He even had his grandchildren to worry about. He wouldn't want to worry them.

"Sol Squadron, you are cleared for launch." The control tower said.

"Sol 1 copies." Mihaly said, "Elio, launching."

Mihaly pushes the throttle forward and fires the M.E Booster up. The Somerset dashed out onto the runway. He activated the VTOL jets and pushed the right stick forward and twisted it. The Somerset changes to fortress mode and flies off with Sol 2 and Sol 3 following suit.

50 year old Captain Snow was sitting in the Ikaros feeling comfy. His hair was slightly younger than Mihaly's. His blue eyes had shine in them.

"Thunderhead, you are cleared for take off." The control tower said.

"Thunderhead, taking off!" Snow said as he pushed the sticks forward.

The jets fired up and pushed the Ikaros. The Ikaros rolled off the runway as it gained speed. It soon lifted itself off the ground and began flying up with its wings folded in. Snow followed Sol Squadron as they were on an assignment and were being transferred. Their assignment was escorting the Knight of Nine to Area 11 and they were to report to an air base in Area 11 starting after their assignment has been complete.

* * *

**Kyoto House**

The Six Houses were having a meeting concerning Cornelia and Zero.

"It's clearly obvious that Cornelia intends on wiping out every resistance group in Japan." Taizo said, "We have already decided on sending the Guren MK2 to Zero while the JLF can have the Burai as well as the 6 Raikou that have been built."

"But still, is it wise?" Munakata asked, "If that is true, then should we really implement that plan into motion?"

"It is as Kirihara said, Cornelia intends on wiping out the embers of Japan. We have no choice." Osakabe said.

"I agree. We must ensure that the Britannians never find out about Kyōto." Kubouin said, "We must make use of the new routes. That way, the Britannians will have no idea about our supply routes."

"But will it work?" Yoshino asked.

"It must work." Osakabe said, "For the sake of Japan, it must work."

"And our other plans?" Munakata asked.

"They shall be implemented as well." Osakabe said.

Taizo looked to Kaguya behind the screen.

"Kaguya, what is your input?" Taizo asked.

Kaguya had been deliberating.

"We shall go ahead with the plan." Kaguya said, "But I believe there are more pressing matters to attend to."

"Like what?" Taizo asked.

"Like the Red Moon cell that the other groups have been talking about." Kaguya said, "It's possible Zero has joined forces with them."

"That little cell? The one that had fought against the Britannian special weapon our intelligence calls Lancelot?" Osakabe asked, "Wait a minute, is that why you wanted the Guren MK2 sent to Zero? Is it because of the Red Moon cell?"

"Hm... that does sound probable." Munakata said, "From what our intelligence has gathered, they seem to have three ace pilots, with their leader being among the three."

"But they are just a tiny resistance cell! What difference does that make?!" Osakabe questioned Kaguya.

"The difference is that they managed to pull off something the JLF couldn't do. They not only stole something of vital importance from Prince Clovis, but they also fought against the Britannians effectively." Kaguya said, "That is an indicator that times have changed. What the JLF couldn't do in 7 years, a minor resistance cell accomplished within only a day."

"Are you saying the JLF is obsolete?!" Osakabe exclaimed.

"Osakabe!" Taizō shouted with a commanding tone in his voice, "Show some respect!"

Osakabe went silent and backed down.

"While the resistance group managed to eliminate most of their forces, we cannot abandon the JLF." Taizō said.

"I never said anything about leaving the JLF behind." Kaguya said, "I was only making a point."

"Yes, we understand that part." Taizō said, "For now, we will have to warn the resistance groups about Cornelia."

"Warn them? Of what?" Kubouin asked.

"Of Cornelia and the danger she represents." Taizō said, "She will undoubtedly try to find Zero and kill him. However, since no one knows who he is or who he is working for except us who believe that he has allied with the Red Moon, she'll go for the largest resistance groups first and then eliminate the smaller ones."

"So she's hellbent on wiping out the embers of Japan then." Kubouin said.

"Yes, they must be warned at once." Munakata said.

"And the JLF?" Osakabe asked, "If she finds the JLF's main base at Narita, what will be of JLF?"

"Do not worry, preparations have been made for such a scenario." Yoshino said, "We had the base upgraded so it can withstand any assault the Britannian forces launch."

"And we have the Umi no Hime. That thing is impossible to track and follow. No navy in the world could ever hope to find it in the ocean." Munakata said, "With that thing, they'll make it over to the underwater base that hasn't been used since the war."

"And what about what Clovis was hiding?" Kaguya asked, "The Immortal Woman that he had captured and imprisoned?"

"Our spies came back with information regarding that. It came from an unknown source." Kubouin said.

"Can The source be trusted along with the information?" Kaguya asked.

"I'm not sure about the source, but the information seemed very confidential." Kubouin said, "We've sent a copy to the JLF already."

* * *

**JLF Base, Narita**

Todoh and the Four Holy Swords has gathered for a meeting while the command staff was having another meeting. It was regarding the information that Kyōto received before handing it off to the JLF. It was absolutely worse than what was heard in the Orange Incident and all the rumors.

"Human experimentation... of all the horrible things, this is unimaginable." Todoh said.

"No kidding." Shōgo Asahina said, "That poor girl. She can't die or age and they just toy with her like she's a doll."

"Well, she is immortal. I mean what would you do if you saw some girl who can take a bullet to the head and suddenly get back up like that?" Kosetsu Urabe asked.

"Nonetheless, What Clovis did was a terrible act and he paid the price for it." Nagisa Chiba said.

"Indeed, his quest for immortality costed him his own life. Not that it had any meaning anymore now that the truth is out." Ryoga Senba said, "I'm sure that unknown source has had the information put all over the internet."

"Yes, but some parts of the informations seem to be missing or inaccurate." Todoh said.

The truth couldn't be any further from that statement. When Kyōto received the information, parts of the paper were blacked out. Some of the information also seemed inaccurate enough. The names of the members were blacked out, their faces were blacked out. The list of locations was also blacked out. Despite that, the information was damning enough.

* * *

In another room, the command staff were meeting in regards to Zero.

"He's tossed the Britannians in chaos! Now it's time for the Japan Liberation Front to make a stand!" Kusakabe said.

"No, we can't. Kyōto has already warned us about the danger that Cornelia poses. If we make a mistake now, it might hurt us." Katase said, "We don't even know his true intentions. Not even Kyōto knows."

"So what?! We can't just let him do as he likes while we wait!" Kusakabe said.

"We've been successful up until now only because of the occupational government's folly with its own policies. We exploited them to the best of our ability. Now we must be careful." Katase said, "Times have changed. If we make a mistake now, it'll be all over for us and the resistance movement dies with us."

Kusakabe tried to say something, but all he could do is growl in utter frustration. He had to accept the facts as they were. But he knew that patience was like a dagger. All he had to do was wait for the right moment to strike. That was all he needed, the patience to wait for an opportunity to strike the Britannians with a dagger and make a statement for the JLF, a message that would be well understood.

* * *

**Bonus: The Rain that brings happiness and prosperity and the White Flame**

**Militarized Zone Of India, Chinese Federation**

Rakshata Chawla was looking at a white Knightmare Frame that was sitting in the Japanese traditional seiza position. It's head was tucked into its chest. The head had the distinct shape of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle. It was colored white and black along with grey. Most of the body and head was white while the arms were a grey color and the cockpit block was black. She smoked her pipe and looked at the Knightmare in glee.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" A voice called.

Rakshata turned to see her assistant, Neha Shankar. She was 15 years old, only 13 years younger than Rakshata. Her eyes were a pink color while her hair was colored black and reached down to her upper back. She had a bandanna tied on head to cover it. She also had two small pigtails that extended about to her shoulder with bangs parted equally to reveal a red bindi on her head. She wore a white coat with a green waist cloth around her waist and a green short tank top with white shoes. She was walking over to Rakshata as she looked at the Byakuen.

"The Type-01/B Byakuen. A variant of the Guren Mk1 you designed." Neha said, "To think we would finish it together."

Rakshata got off the couch she was on, "And you developed a variant of my Radiant Wave Surger."

"Yes, the uh... Radiant Wave Grenade." Neha said.

Suddenly, her legs began to shake before tripped. Rakshata dived in and caught Neha just in time. Rakshata looked at Neha's legs before she sighed.

"Remind me to do a check up on your legs." Rakshata said, "Maybe I really should build you some new legs."

"It's alright. It's not too bad." Neha said, "Besides, these legs are a symbol of our connection of me to you."

"Dear, your legs are shaking." Rakshata said.

Neha looked at her legs and noticed that they were shaking. Rakshata got Neha on her couch and quickly to the legs out of Neha's leg sockets. The legs seemed prosthetic, made up of metal and plastic. These were a prototype. She planned on upgrading these legs so that Neha could stand upright and walk just fine without having to put up with the tripping and falling. The first time she met Neha was in a hospital in India when she was caught in a terrorist attack. She gave the girl new prosthetic legs. Neha wouldn't meet her again until after 10 years later when she found out that Rakshata was into Knightmare development and followed her all the way from the EU and back to India.

Neha was a prodigy born in an unforgiving world. Neha found out about Rakshata taking the path of Knightmare development, but thought that it was a path that supported war, only to find out that it was for the sake of ending war. After finding out, she followed the path that Rakshata took and went to the EU General Engineering University in Berlin at age 15, but soon left because the Britannian Secret Intelligence Service was onto her in need for her prodigal skills in Knightmare development. She fled and took shelter in India where she met Rakshata once again and joined her.

Together, the two created the Byakuen, a Knightmare Frame that was the result of Rakshata and Neha's efforts in development. Neha had developed the Byakuen to be different from Rakshata's Guren Mk1 And Mk2. The result of her studies in Berlin was that the Byakuen was equipped with the prototype Gefjun Breaker, a device that was built according to a theory Rakshata had. It causes any and all processes of anything powered by sakuradite to grind to a halt due it being exposed to an electromagnetic and radioactive wave of the opposite polarity. The device had been tested and it was a success by causing Neha's legs to suddenly stop working and cut power from within a 100 meters around said device. The only drawback was it drained the power before it even got hit with the Gefjun Breaker, meaning that in terms of power consumption, it would drain a Knightmare Frame's energy filler dry.

Aside from the Breaker, there was also the 7-Type Integrated Right Arm, or 7-Type for short. It carried seven weapons on a golden apparatus built on the right arm. It had a hand, two blades with jagged ends that can be used as an irregular sword, scissors, or a combined blade by combining the two irregular blades. It also has a drill that can extend out and can pierce very thick armor very easily. Last but not least was a ultra-output electromagnetic accelerator cannon that can unfold itself. It had spare ammo cartridges filled with armor piercing rounds and magazines of Radiant Wave Grenades that unleash a chain reaction much like the Radiant Wave Surger. They were mounted on the hip. There was one last weapon that Neha and Rakshata were developing, but it wasn't finished yet.

Last but not least, it was coated with sakuradite to up its performance. The result was that it had an output that made it difficult for a normal person to pilot it. It needed a pilot that can handle its output and truly bring forth its true power. Rakshata finished tuning the legs and had the right leg positioned to Neha's right. She pushed it into the socket and firmly shoved it in, allowing it to reconnect. Neha cried in pain as she felt the leg reconnect. Rakshata pushes the left leg in and allows it to reconnect. Neha cried again before breathing.

"God that hurts as much as getting shot." Neha said as she got on her feet.

She looked at the Byakuen and looked at it with a saddened face. Rakshata saw that look in her eyes.

"Neha, are you sure you want to go through with this?" Rakshata asked, "I know you and I wanted to do this to end war, but we both know that are little babies will be painting the battlefield in red. Do you think you can live with that?"

"I'm willing to do what it takes." Neha said as she turned to Rakshata, "I'm sure that when this is over, the world we be a better place. Isn't that why we're doing this?"

Rakshata looked with a smile, "Well yes, but I don't want you to end up acting like the Earl Of Pudding."

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

Lloyd sneezed. His sneeze accidentally caused his pudding to tip over. Lloyd noticed the pudding tipping over and went to catch it, only to fall out of his chair and face-plants onto the floor as Cecile trying to contain her laughter. Lloyd turned to Cecile who tried to hide her laughter.

"What's so funny Cecile?" Lloyd asked, "Then again, reality is funny after all."

* * *

**Militarized Zone Of India**

Neha looked at the Byakuen with worry.

"Do you think we'll find the right pilot for the Byakuen?" Neha asked.

"We will Neha. We will." Rakshata said before she smoked her pipe, "We will in all due time."


	10. Chapter 9: Of Origami and Cats

**Chapter 9: Of Origami and Cats**

The Britannian military had cornered the Blood of the Samurai. They had found their base in a mountain and were now marching to put an end to them. There at least 28 turrets firing on their tanks in a shooting match. The turrets were just flak guns that were outdated yet had enough fire power to blast a tank. Back in the G-1, Darlton watched as all the data was coming in. The location of their base had been revealed.

"Alright, relay all of this to the Viceroy at once." Darlton commanded.

As the guns kept firing, Cornelia's Gloucester was rushing from the back. An Eleven quickly spotted her. The guns swerved and aimed at Cornelia's Gloucester.

"Lousy relics of a bygone age!" Cornelia yelled as she jumped.

She fired two slash harkens at two guns, silencing them. She fired her assault rifle at another turret and destroyed it. She came down and looked at the entrance.

"Through here, yes?" Cornelia asked.

"Yes milady." Darlton said, "Should we accompany you?"

"No need, not for this level of petty resistance." Cornelia said as she went in the tunnel.

She saw a light at the end and found only a single blue Gloucester waiting for her with an Eleven riding the top of it with a smirk. He had light red hair and blue eyes. The Gloucester had a jousting lance and a rifle in hand.

_'Just one?'_ Cornelia thought before switching the speakers on, "Are you the leader?"

"Nope, he just left with the rest of his guys." The Eleven spoke.

_'Leaving his subordinates to die? How cowardly.'_ Cornelia thought, "Where is Zero?"

"He's not here either." The Eleven said, "Seriously, if you wanted his autograph that bad, you could have just asked him."

_'Oh, he thinks he's a comedian in the face of his own death?'_ Cornelia thought.

This Eleven was different from the ones she practically knows of. They were nothing but rats on a ship, rats that spread disease wherever they like. They would just go down with resistance or acceptance of their own death. But this Eleven was acting pretty damn confident and was acting quite tough.

"Let me tell you something. Do the words 'Red Moon' mean anything to you?" The Eleven asked.

Her eyes widened upon hearing that. Intelligence had classified the group responsible in Shinjuku as the Red Moon as the Elevens referred to them as. This man that was in front of her at this very moment spoke of the name Red Moon! She aimed her gun at his head and had her trigger finger ready. The Eleven smirked.

"I see it does mean something to you." The Eleven said.

"Are you the leader of the Red Moon? If so, why are you here?" Cornelia asked.

"Oh me? The leader? Well..." The Eleven shrugged, "I guess I might be."

"Then you know where Zero is." Cornelia said.

"I told you, didn't I? He's not here." The Eleven said.

"Answer me! Where. Is. Zero?!" Cornelia demanded as her trigger finger itched.

The Eleven smirked, "How about we dance and see if you're worthy of my time."

He hopped in his Gloucester and dodged the incoming bullets that were fired from the assault rifle Cornelia's Gloucester held. The blue Gloucester dodged the incoming bullets and rushed towards Cornelia. She guessed that his next move was to thrust his lance at her. She thrusts her lance at him in retaliation. The lances clashed, their prongs extended out and caught each other, stopping them from reaching any further. The blue Gloucester swung its body off to Cornelia's right. With the lance still stuck in Cornelia's lance, she was tossed to her right. She recovered in mid air and landed on her feet.

"Ok, you know what? Better question." The Eleven spoke with the speakers on, "Why **do** you want Zero?"

Cornelia's brows furled in rage as her face contorted to said emotion.

"He **killed** my brother! That's a reason enough for me to find him!" Cornelia said.

She charged at the Eleven. The Eleven blocked her attack. She quickly pushed him back toward the entrance she came in from.

"After everything he did, you want to avenge him? That's some denial you got right there." The Eleven said.

"Denial? Me? I'm not that delusional, unlike you." Cornelia said, "He may have done a horrible crime in the shadows, but even so, he didn't deserve death!"

"You're right, death was too good for him." The Eleven said, "If you ask me—"

The two got outside and landed out in the open.

"Death is too much a simple punishment for him. I'm guessing having his entire reputation trashed and stripping him of his pride, dignity, and inheritance should have done it." The Eleven said, "Of course, that would be too slow of a punishment, given how the emperor is cool with everything else aside from pillaging countries to a bloody pulp."

Cornelia's anger rose as she fired at the Eleven who dared to speak about her brother with absolute disrespect. The Eleven dodged the incoming bullets and fired back. The two maneuvered toward each other while dodging and firing bullets. She was amazed at how good this Eleven was as a pilot. He must be the Blue King of the Red Moon that the intel she received on them that the colonial government officials dug up per her request. As far as the intel goes, there were three aces in the Red Moon. They went by the codenames given to them by the Colonial Ministry of Defense: Red Queen, Blue King, and White Jack.

Records on the Blue King showed that he is a cunning bastard. He'll play dirty if he sees an opportunity to do so and acts with brazen audacity that is somewhat equal to Zero. He was also to have been the mastermind of the theft of the 'poison gas' container. The Red Queen was more of a close quarters fighter as opposed to the Blue King or White Jack. The White Jack was known to have used a cannon in Shinjuku. The White Jack had fought the Lancelot to a draw despite being outmatched in specs. The pilot was equal on par with Kururugi. The weird thing was that he had shot down four Sutherlands within seconds. It was simply unheard of. The Red Comet faced him battle and defeated him, but the terrorist was still at large.

They clashed one another again and backed away.

"Pitiful, an Eleven like you to have so much skill in combat, only to use it for some meaningless pipe dream of the return of a country that no longer exists." Cornelia said.

"Me? Pitiful? I'd say you're the pitiful one." The Blue King said, "You say something like that and yet you can't let go of someone's death."

Cornelia felt her anger rising again and backed away from the Eleven. She prepares to charge at him, but her earpiece crackles to life.

"Viceroy, there's been a situation!" Darlton exclaimed.

"Tell me of it later!" Cornelia said.

"No! There's been a report that a train carrying some Knightmares is under attack! They say it's the Red Moon and the Blood of the Samurai!" Darlton said.

Her eyes widened upon hearing the news. A green flare went off in the sky. The Blue King laughs.

"Well, I liked that we danced. You were quite the partner." The Blue bastard said before the Gloucester revealed a chaos mine, "Au revoir, Princess Corncob. You danced like a beautiful butterfly and certainly stung like a bee."

He tossed the chaos mine and made a hasty getaway while Cornelia backed away and went around in pursuit.

* * *

_'Sorry Witch, we've danced long enough.'_ Naoto thought as he pressed the button on the remote he held.

* * *

Inside the base, liquid sakuradite explosives were detonated simultaneously. A huge pink cloud of flame bursted forth from the mountain base. The explosion left a huge cloud of dirt and debris flung toward the base of the mountain, clouding Cornelia's vision.

_'That bastard! He was just a decoy! How did I not see that?!'_ Cornelia thought, _'He's a crafty bastard! I'll give him that, and only that!'_

She had been outplayed by an Eleven! This Eleven had not only spoke ill of her brother, but he had spurned the honor that was an honorable 1-1 duel! This amount of disrespect was absolutely unacceptable! He even had the sheer gall to call her Princess Corncob as an insult to her name that was given to her by birth! How dare he show his face, spit on her brother's grave, sass her, and worst of all, spurn a good duel with deception and cheap, dirty tricks and tactics! He was nothing more but a dirty Eleven cheater! A rat that is worse than a rat that carries a plague!

* * *

Naoto smiled as he made his escaped.

_'Ha! Never saw that coming, now did you?'_ Naoto thought, _'I've lived in the Ghettoes for over 7 years! You can learn a lot in the Ghettoes, especially when it comes to deceiving others! You may as well wait 10 years before you can challenge me in the art of tactics and strategy!'_

That was true indeed. He had learned many skills in order to survive. One of those skills was planning and cunning. He knew Cornelia would suspect that Zero would be working with a large resistance group, and what other group than the Blood of the Samurai was there for her to go after? With the JLF's main base still hidden, the Blood of the Samurai had to be her only option. He met with the Blood of the Samurai, warned them of Cornelia, had them place the liquid sakuradite explosives, have most of them, including the leader to abandon the base and have some volunteers to stay behind to make it convincing, and have the rest of them link up with Kallen, who had brought the rest of the Red Moon to attack a train filled with military equipment, supplies, rations, and ammunition, loot the train until it was empty, and escape to the rendezvous point.

_'My plan went down like clockwork.'_ Naoto thought, _'Zero only helped us win because Clovis was an idiot. If he's gonna stand toe to toe with Cornelia, he needs to learn the art the deception.'_

* * *

Cornelia looked furious when she got to the train. It was ransacked and derailed. The Sutherlands that were there to guard it looked to have been stabbed with a jousting lance. It made her wonder where the terrorists even find a Gloucester in the first place. But aside from that, she had been mocked. It was revolting to think that an Eleven tricked her like that. Darlton and Guilford arrived just in time.

"By god..." Guilford said, "Could this have been Zero's work? Did he practically guess who we were after?"

"No, it was the Blue King. He did this." Cornelia said, "He played us all like a fiddle. How dare he speak ill of my dead brother. He may have done a terrible deed to hide a secret like that, but to spit on his grave with impudence is—!"

"I know milady." Darlton said, "Don't judge me for my opinion, but I think Eleven has got to be the best strategist the Red Moon has to offer if he can do stuff like this."

Cornelia took Darlton's opinion into deliberation. She looked at the wreckage while the Purebloods were investigating.

"So it would seem." Cornelia said, _'He may not be Todoh or Zero, but he is a clever bastard indeed.'_

* * *

Kewell was absolutely furious while he was investigating. He couldn't help but blame Jeremiah for this. The Purebloods were practically in control of Area 11 and were this close to eliminating the Honorary Britannian system, that is until Zero came along and Jeremiah let them escape because of 'Orange'. Then the Special Corps, Princess Euphemia, and that stupid brat interfered in his assassination attempt on Jeremiah's life.

He gotten a grudge on that boy since that day for attacking him from behind, leaving a scar on his honor. The Princess dared to shelter that Eleven from the military after what he did! To even allow him to live among Britannian society was a crime a Purist views with extreme prejudice. It was repulsive to even think that the Princess would shed tears over that boy and act like a mother to that Eleven as if he were her own child. That child damaged his pride for attacking him from behind. There was one thing he knew for certain, he was going to make that child pay, one way or the other.

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

Lelouch was waiting for Nunnally to come in the room. The door opened and Nunnally came in with Sayako, who was moving her wheelchair for her.

"Well big brother, I'm here." Nunnally said, "So what is it that you wanted me to know?"

"Ah, yes of course." Lelouch said as he got up from the chair he was sitting in.

He turned to the door behind him, "Alright, you can come in now."

The door opened as Suzaku entered to see a familiar face.

_'Nunnally... her hair is longer than I remembered it was.'_ Suzaku thought.

He went over to Nunnally and held her hand. Suddenly, Nunnally began to recognize the feeling on her hand. It was someone she knew. It was...

"Suzaku..." she spoke, "Is that you?"

"Yes." Suzaku answered.

He hugged her as she sobbed into his loving arms. Rai was watching from behind the door.

'Is she... his girlfriend? Maybe I'll ask him about that.' Rai thought.

She got out of his embrace and looked upon him with a smile.

"I'm so glad that you're ok." Nunnally said.

"Me too." Suzaku said.

Lelouch looked glad to see the two reunited. Three kunai suddenly went flying towards the door, prompting Rai to scream and fall to the floor.

_'Those are kunai knives! Wait is she a ninja?!'_ Suzaku thought,_ 'I thought there weren't any shinobi left, or even a kunoichi for that matter!'_

"Show yourself!" Sayoko commanded as she had brought her kunai knives out.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Suzaku exclaimed as he got in front of Sayoko, "He's a friend of mine! I swear to you that's he a friend of mine!"

"And if he's not?" Sayoko asked.

"Stand down, Sayoko." Lelouch said.

"At once, my master." Sayoko replied as she withdrew the kunai.

Lelouch looked to Suzaku, "Suzaku, would you mind explaining?"

"Ugh, hold on." Suzaku said as he turned to the door, "Come on Rai. I know you were looking. It's alright, the ninja maid isn't going to kill you, I swear that she won't."

He turned to Lelouch, "She's not going to kill him, right?"

"She'd kill him if I commanded it." Lelouch whispered.

Rai pokes his head out of the door. He kept his eyes on the ninja maid.

"Trust me, she means no harm." Suzaku said.

Rai stepped out and entered the room slowly.

"Well guys, this is my friend, Rai." Suzaku said, "We met in the Settlement after my court martial ended."

Rai waved at the two, "Nice to meet you."

"The name's Lelouch Lamperouge." Lelouch said.

"And I'm Nunnally Lamperouge." Nunnally said.

"I am Sayoko Shinozaki, I'm a maid that happily serves under the Mistress Nunnally and Master Lelouch." Sayoko said, "As long as no harm comes to them, I will not need to resort to the actions I have already took."

"R-right. As long as they're in pristine condition." Rai said, "Well Suzaku, we got military work to do."

"Wait, you're still in the military?" Nunnally asked.

"Yes. I'm in an engineering unit, so I'm in safe hands." Suzaku said.

"Engineering? I thought—"

He noticed Suzaku was making a hand jester. He quickly guessed what it mean.

"I mean of course, we're working in an engineering unit working with experimental technology." Rai said.

"Experimental? Like what?" Nunnally asked, "Nothing too dangerous, right?"

"Oh yeah, just as long as said experimental technology doesn't explode or anything." Rai said, "Other than that we're fine."

Suzaku was beginning to sweat as he looked at Lelouch, who was looking at Suzaku with suspicion.

"Y-Yeah, what Rai said." Suzaku said, "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to go."

Suzaku and Rai quickly left. Lelouch was in his thoughts.

'Suzaku... are you the pilot of the Lancelot?' Lelouch thought, 'In that case—!'

"Big brother, is Suzaku going to be ok? He didn't tell me what kind of experimental technology he was working on." Nunnally said.

"I'm sure it's nothing dangerous." Lelouch said, "They'll be fine."

"I hope so. After the war 7 years ago, I was so worried about him." Nunnally said.

"Me too Nunnally," Lelouch said, "Me too."

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate, Tokyo Settlement**

Durandal looked extremely tired from testing out the Lancelot Grail. The Grail's performance output was higher than he thought of despite the specs being lower than the Lancelot. No ordinary man could pilot the Grail. Maximizing the Grail's combat abilities would require Durandal to have much more stamina and faster reflexes. His military training made him an excellent pilot. No matter what Knightmare he used, he knew manages to draw out its full potential, be it some old Glasgow, a Sutherland, or a Gloucester.

The Grail on the other hand was a much different story for him now. Never before has a Knightmare Frame test him so greatly. It was as if it demanded that Durandal actually push himself to his own limits. He knew how it felt to be piloting a Knightmare Frame, but the Grail was no ordinary Knightmare Frame. It was like a wild horse that was difficult to tame. Durandal was going to take this wild beast of steel, even if it kills him while he's doing it.

He went to his personal gym room and began to exercise and lift some heavyweights around. There was even a Knightmare simulation cockpit in the room. It was programmed to have many simulations built into it. Ledo and Schnee watched their captain trained.

"Incredible... look at that six pack..." Schnee said, "No wonder Lalah fell for him."

"Jealous because you couldn't get a six pack in the military?" Ledo asked.

"H-Hey!" Schnee said as his face turned red, "It's not like you have one!"

Ledo turned to Schnee, "I try to get one at least."

It was undeniable that Durandal had the physical body that would make women quiver before him and make men glare daggers at him full of jealousy and desire to have such a muscular build. It was as if he was sculpted by god to have a body that would make all the ladies go head over heels for him and make husbands lose their wives and fathers lose their daughters all because of a simple glance. While the emperor had a body that was practically superior to Zeus in almost every conceivable way possible despite being well over 60 years old, Durandal was like Hercules himself, only with blonde hair.

Durandal thought about Rei. He saw the fire in his eyes. It was clear that Rei wasn't going to back down from a fight. He looked determined. He looked determined to see things through to the end. He knew that the next time they would meet would be different. He knew that he and the boy would meet on the battlefield and clash once more.

_'Watch out little rabbit.'_ Durandal thought, _'You'll be facing me in the Grail. I hope you're improving yourself.'_

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

Rei came over to the student council building to see a maid in front of the building. Nunnally told him that if he wanted to see her, she was by the Student Council Building. Of course, Sayoko, her maid, would be waiting for him.

"I'm Nunnally's friend can I see her?" Rei asked.

"Rei Nebiros, Yes?" Sayoko asked.

Rei nodded his head.

"You may enter." Sayoko said as she opens the door.

She allowed Rei in and had him follow her. She lead him to Nunnally's room and waited outside. The door opened and Rei went inside to see the pink room that Nunnally was in. She was folding a piece of paper multiple times until it took the shape of a bird. A word went through his mind upon seeing it.

_'An origami...'_ Rei thought.

Suddenly, he was beginning to feel like he knew what an origami was and how to make one. Nunnally quickly turned to look at Rei.

"Big brother?" Nunnally asked.

"Huh? No, it's me. Rei." Rei said.

Nunnally gasped in light of her mistake. Her cheeks flushed with red.

"O—Oh! Rei! I'm sorry! I didn't—!"

"It's ok. Everyone makes a mistake sometimes." Rei said.

He walks over to him and noticed a pile of paper. There was a pile of paper cranes on top of each other. There were of different shapes and sizes.

"These paper cranes... why are you making all of these?" Rei asked.

Nunnally stopped blushing and seemed interested with the subject, "Have you heard that when you fold 1000 paper cranes, your wish can come true?"

Rei was about to say something, but then a flash went off in his head. Images of the woman he called his mother appeared.

* * *

The woman was looking down on him with a gentle aura coming from her. Her face was becoming more visible. Her red eyes looked at him as her silver blonde long hair bathed in sunlight from the window.

_"That's a lot of paper cranes. Is there a wish you had in your mind?"_ His mother asked.

_"I wish to grow up and be like my father!"_ The young Rei said, _"I want to be just like him when I grow up!"_

The mother went over to his son and picked him up. He sat with her on a chair.

_"You'll get there when you grow up."_ The boys' mother said, _"You'll have to think of a better wish."_

The young boy began to think about a wish. Suddenly, one came to his mind.

_"I wish for a better world!"_ Rei said with a smile, looking to his mother.

She smiled and giggled. She rubbed her hand on his head.

_"I'm sure it will come true once you've folded 1000 cranes."_ His mother said, _"Until then, you're stuck in this one."_

He pouted, _"You're no fun!"_

_"My bad."_ The mother said, _"Just remember, if there is something you really wish for, fold those cranes until you have 1000 cranes. But some wishes... come at a cost."_

He looked confused,_ "What cost mama?"_

She suddenly looked worried. She shook her head and smiled, _"It could be anything."_

* * *

The vision faded from his memory. A question popped into his mind.

"What's your wish?" Rei asked.

"Well... it may sound silly but..." Nunnally twiddled her thumbs, "I wish for a gentler world."

Surprise has struck him alongside an emotional arrow. He was quick to contain his emotions.

_'I guess we're one in the same on that regard..._ Rei thought.

The two were similar is some aspects. They both lost their parents had no one left to turn to. It was almost tragic that their lives were changed because of those events.

"Do you mind if I fold some origami with you?" Rei asked.

"I don't mind." Nunnally said.

Rei sat down a chair and took a sheet of paper from the pile that sat on the table. He began to fold the paper to how Nunnally was folding it. He kept folding the paper until he got the same crane as she did.

"What did you make?" Nunnally asked.

"It's... a paper crane." Rei said.

"Wow!" Nunnally said, "That was your first one!"

He scratched the top of his head as he placed the crane on the table. He took another sheet of paper and began to fold it. However, as he was folding it, something strange happened. His hands were folding the paper into something else. It was as if his body was moving his hands on its own into folding the paper. His hands kept folding the paper until it took the form of something that he had never seen before.

"What is this?" Rei asked.

"Huh?" Nunnally asked, "What is it?"

"Well... its not a crane." Rei said, "It's more of a flower."

"A flower?" Nunnally asked, "how many petals does it have?"

He checked the number of petals. There were five petals in total.

"Five." Rei said, "Five petals."

Nunnally gasped, "Why that must be a sakura flower!"

"Huh?" Rei asked, "Whats a sakura flower?"

"It's a type of plant. It's commonly called a cherry blossom. Japan had many of these plants before... you know..." Nunnally said.

"The war?" Rei asked.

"Yeah!" Nunnally said, "You got to teach me how to make an origami like that!"

"H-Huh?!" Rei asked, "Why me?!"

"Well you did it, so you should be able to teach me how to fold one." Nunnally said, "It will be difficult since I'm blind, but I'm sure I'll be able to make one on my own if you teach me!"

"Well... I..." Rei struggled to answer honestly.

He did it without even realizing he had done it. He didn't know how his body managed to create an origami like that. It was strange, almost as if his lost memories had some hand to play in it.

"I... don't know. My hands just moved by themselves." Rei said.

Nunnally's excitement drowned in disappointment. She pouted.

"Honest! I don't know how I did it!" Rei said.

The door opened and Sayoko came in, "Lady Nunnally, I've made tea—"

She saw Rei who had the cherry blossom origami in his hand. She looked surprised to see it folded so perfectly.

"Rei, how did you—? When did you—?"

"I don't know! My hands just moved!" Rei said.

"Rei, give me your hand." Nunnally said as she reached her hand out with a stern look on her face. Her eye lids crinkled.

"Eh?" Rei asked.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. Because Lady Nunnally has been blind for so long, she developed a strange ability to tell whether some is lying by touching the hand of that person." Sayoko said.

"Wait! For real?!" Rei asked.

"I hope you are not lying." Sayoko said.

Rei looked at Nunnally's hand and reached for it. He touched her hand. Nunnally's stern face soon died down. She sighed.

"I guess I was wrong." Nunnally said, "I thought for sure you..."

She looked depressed.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you as soon as I remember." Rei said.

"Yeah, I guess you can once you do— wait until you remember?" Nunnally asked.

"Oh, I forgot to mention something. I... have amnesia." Rei said, "I don't remember much of myself, nor do I remember anything about my past."

"Oh... why that's..." Nunnally said, "But what about your name? You still remember that, right?"

Rei looked stern. He turned to the hand that held Nunnally's. He tightened his grip on the hand.

"No. I don't remember my real name." Rei said, "The name Rei was just given to me by some people who found me. I was wandering about apparently and fell unconscious. I'm not sure about my real name, but I do know that I'm half-Britannian, half-Japanese, and of Zilkian descent."

Nunnally noticed that he had tightened his grip on her hand, and she could tell from feeling his hand that he wasn't lying. But what surprised her was the Zilkian descent part. Her mother told her stories about Zilkistan, about how they were warriors by birth, how they managed to conquer the might of Britannia, and that the people were governed by a warrior king and a queen who was a holy priestess.

"Your family must be made up of warriors then." Sayoko said.

"Huh?" Rei asked.

"Mother told me all about Zilkistan. The people there are born to be excellent warriors that once bent Britannia over. They're ruled by a king who was a warrior who was excellent in all kinds of warfare and a queen who is a priestess who can predict everything." Nunnally said.

_'That much is true...'_ Rei thought as he recalled one of his restores memories, "Well, my parents did descend from a line of warriors. My father was a descendant of Britannian knights while my mother was a descendant of the samurai of Japan. But I guess my parents wanted to be something else."

Nunnally could tell he was being honest. His grip lessened and released her. He brought his hand back to himself.

"Tell me Nunnally, your mother, what was she like?" Rei asked.

"Huh?" Nunnally asked, "Well... she was a very gentle and kind person. The type of person who would never hurt anyone, not even a fly."

Rei chuckled, "I see..."

He looked to Nunnally. He felt a strange connection to her. It was a warm one. Her presence was also warm, yet faint. Could she be an Overman as well? She might be, given how she had been blind for years. That and she could tell whether or not s person was lying by touching their hands.

"Anyway, I've made tea." Sayoko said, "It's going to get cold if you don't hurry."

"Oh! Thats right!" Nunnally said, "I'll go tell big brother. Rei, if you could meet me and my brother in the dining room."

"R-right..." Rei said.

* * *

**Lelouch's Room**

Lelouch was packing his Zero costume. He knew that in order to keep his identity a secret, he needed to stash the costume away. It was physical evidence of his existence, unlike Geass, which can be easily hidden. CC was eating pizza in his room. The smell of cheese was in the air. Honestly, the nerve of her. Using his credit card just to get pizza after he released her from her prison. The door opened and Nunnally was out in front. She quickly caught a whiff of the cheese.

"I smell pizza." Nunnally said.

"Well, I'm bored and I don't have anything else to do." Lelouch said as he stood up and hid the mask.

While CC was eating her pizza and while the siblings talked to one another, a familiar black furred feline snuck into the room. CC saw the cat enter the room and looked at it. The cat looked at CC. The cat ignored her presence and continued walking about as she ignored the cat. As soon as Lelouch and Nunnally left to go have tea, the cat accidentally fell off the table and knocked the bag over. CC turned to the noise and saw nothing. She didn't see the cat unsuspectingly walking past her with the mask of Zero on its head.

* * *

**Dining room**

Lelouch came to the dining room with Nunnally to see a boy with bowl cut silver hair drinking a cup of tea. He didn't recognize him because of his hair, but the second he saw those red eyes, it became obvious who this kid was.

'Oh no...' Lelouch thought.

Oh no indeed. It was the boy from Shinjuku, the one who had found out about CC. The one he wanted to succeed him as Zero in case anything were to happen to him. He was right there, in front of him, and he was looking at him as if he knew him.

"Rei, this is my brother Lelouch." Nunnally said, "Lelouch, this is Rei Nebiros, a transfer student who has joined my class."

"Well... hi there... Rei..." Lelouch said.

"Why hello Mr Lelouch." Rei said, "Eh?"

Things soon became awkward as a long silence blew in. They meet again, only on difference circumstances. The silence was long. While the standstill went on, the cat walked by them. Rei saw the cat. The cat turned to him with the mask on its head. Upon seeing the cat with the mask, a thought immediately came to his mind.

_'Is that a mask of Zero?!'_ Rei thought.

He knew he couldn't afford to make any sudden moves. If he does, the cat will bolt itself out through the door. He walked slowly towards the cat. Lelouch noticed Rei was looking at something and quickly looked to where Rei's eyes were gazing to see the cat with the mask. He screamed like a girl and the cat ran off.

"Wait!" Rei ran after the cat.

He jumped and slid across the floor before he jumped off the floor in pursuit of the cat. Lelouch couldn't believe it. A cat of all things was going to be the death of him! A freaking cat of all things! It was unfathomable! It was unthinkable! He bolted after the cat, leaving Nunnally in confusion.

Rei was running after the cat as it ran quickly. The cat had Zero's mask! The cat had Zero's mask! He knew damn well about the stakes of what was happening now. If he doesn't catch the cursed feline, it'll get the attention of the press AND the military! It would be pure chaos! The whole Academy will get swallowed in it!

_'I got to get the cat and hide the mask as soon as possible! If Mr Suzaku were to catch it and find the mask... oh no...'_ Rei thought, _'No! I have to catch that cat! Nothing else matters! I have to catch it or all hell breaks loose!'_

Lelouch was running after the cat as well. But his stakes were on a higher level! That cat was going to get him exposed! He would be finished before he could begin! It would be all over and he would be brought back into the fold of the empire, or even worse, put him on execution! Rei was after the dastardly cat as well, but he couldn't trust him! Rei would find out that he's Zero and will tell the resistance about him, and then it's a downward spiral from there.

_'Like hell I'm getting exposed by some damn feline!'_ Lelouch thought.

The cat went through and open window. Rei quickly jumped through the window and ended up breaking it and rolled off the ground, recovered, and ran after the cat. Lelouch saw it all happened and felt terrified be it.

_'Is that child insane?! What the hell made him think that was an ok thing to do?!'_ Lelouch thought, _'For the love of god! How did things even turn out this way?!'_

Lalah soon saw Rei and Lelouch run after the cat. She tilted her head in conclusion.

_'What is going on over there?'_ Lalah thought.

"Stop! Stop!" Rei ordered the cat, _'It's not going to listen! Guess I'll have to use force!'_

He quickly pulled out a yo-yo he had found in the Ghetto and kept in a safe place in his uniform and threw it. The yo-go's string wrapped around the cat's hind leg. He pulled on the string. The cat soon tripped and fell on its belly. He retracted the yo-yo and grabbed the cat and turned it to face him. He reached for the mask, but the cat hissed and, in an act of self-defense, scratched Rei's face repeatedly. The pain caused Rei to scream in pain and drop the cat and cover his face as it began to regenerate from the scratches.

Lelouch went over to Rei with nothing but exhaustion on him. He looked at Rei and had to assume he saw the mask. He couldn't trust Rei. He had to make sure Rei forgets about the mask. He had no other choice. His left eye flared with Geass. All he had to do was wait for Rei to look at him with his eyes. As soon as Rei released his hands from his face, Lelouch was about to give him the order, but then he saw a red light. As soon as Rei's face was uncovered, the sigil of Geass manifested into his right eye. Lelouch looked in shock.

_'That's—!'_ Lelouch thought.

**"MOVE IT!"** Rei said in a fit of rage as a red barrier expanded and pushed Lelouch back with force.

Lelouch was knocked back by the barrier with great force. He was lost in his thoughts.

_'That was his Geass... it turned into some kind of field...'_ Lelouch thought, _'She said it wouldn't activate if even it was possible that he knew he had it... Wait, what if it was he didn't know, but it activated regardless? Was his emotions the trigger? Is that it?'_

He landed on his back and slid across the ground before rolling over. He got back up and deactivated his Geass. He knew now that getting him under control was harder than it looked. The fact that the boy has Geass isn't even making this situation any easier for him.

Rei got up as the sigil disappeared. He quickly ran after the cat. Lelouch followed Rei as well.

* * *

**The Hallway**

Two girls were gossiping with each other until the cat walked by them. The girls saw the cat with the mask as it left.

"Was that Zero's mask?" The first girl asked.

"It could be... though I bet it's fake." The second girl answered.

Rei ran past the girls and Lelouch stopped by the girls and asked them if they saw a cat.

"Yeah, we saw it, it went—"

**"Forget that you ever saw the cat or the mask it wore."** Lelouch said with his Geass activated.

The command went into their eyes and hot-wired their brains into forgetting the cat and the mask. He ran after Rei. The girls looked in confusion.

* * *

**Student Council Building**

Milly, Rivalz, Lalah, and Nina we're outside with Nunnally.

"So there was a cat that was running off with something important?" Milly asked.

"Yes. Rei went after it along with my brother." Nunnally said.

"He also jumped through the window to go after it." Sayoko said.

"An embarrassing photo?" Milly asked.

"An old keepsake?" Lalah asked.

"One of his chess pieces?" Rivalz asked.

"Uh... very important pieces of work?" Nina said.

Milky looked at Nina with a blank expression.

"Really?" Milly asked.

"I... have nothing." Nina said.

"Oh that's ok, because we're going to find out!" Milly said, "And we'll make the whole school help out!"

Nunnally suddenly looked extremely worried. Sayoko felt no different from Nunnally.

"Mistress Millicent, I don't think you should encourage—"

"Don't worry, it'll be quick." Milly said.

"Milly, I think you're missing the point." Nunnally said, "I think it could be—"

"Enough! To the broadcasting room!" Milly said as she, Rivalz, and Nina headed off, leaving Lalah behind.

Lalah soon felt worried, _'Oh dear... why do I have the feeling Milly is going to do something ridiculous?'_

* * *

**Hallway**

Rai and Suzaku had gone on a short break. Suddenly, the intercom in the school went on.

"Hello everyone! This is your Madame President of the Student Council speaking!" A voice said over the intercom.

"Eh?" Rai and Suzaku said.

"We have a cat that's on the loose!" The voice commanded, "All club activities are halted until that cat has been found. If one member from a club catches it, their budget is tripled!"

* * *

**Swimming Pool**

Shirley was in her swim suit ready to dive into the water.

"And as a bonus, whoever catches it will have the honor to kiss a member of the student council!" The voice said, "Courtesy of me, Millicent "Milly" Ashford! Ohohohohoho!"

**"WHAT?!"** Shirley exclaimed.

She lost her balance and fell straight into the water while Milly laughed maniacally.

* * *

**On Campus**

"Member of the stu— oh no..." Kallen said before her eyes turned into dinner plates, "Does that include me?!"

"Exactly!" Members of the gardening club said as they got out from the bushes.

"Man, I could already feel her soft skin on my lips~." One member said.

"Back off! I'll be the one to kiss her on the cheek!" Another member said.

"But what of the cheek isn't enough?" Another member asked.

The entire club quickly spread out.

"Oh no! No is taking my first kiss goddamnit!" Kallen said as she ran to look for the cat.

* * *

**Hallway**

Rei and Lelouch heard the announcement as they searched for the cat.

_'A kiss for the student council? Wait a minute! Kallen's in the council!'_ Rei thought, _'That means if someone were to catch that cat... Kallen Oneechan's first kiss will get taken!'_

He couldn't bear to let that happen. If it did, Naoto would damn as hell go on a murderous rampage to find and kill the bastard that took her first kiss! Not only that, it was Kallen's first kiss! He had to protect it no matter what! He won't lets some sleaze ball touch her!

_'Goddamnit Milly! Why do you do these things to me?!'_ Lelouch thought.

Lelouch couldn't believe how fast things went straight to Hell. That was Millicent Ashford, a woman who didn't have a care in the world. Truly a menace that could not be taken lightly.

* * *

Kallen was looking for the damn cat. She couldn't believe it! Her first kiss was on the damn line here! All because some stupid cat was running loose! A pair of female students were coming by and she quickly got into character as the sickly Kallen Stadtfeld. They passed by her and she went back to running until she bumped into someone. She looked to see it was Shirley in her swim suit.

"Uh... why are you—?"

"Why are you asking when there's a kiss on the line?!" Shirley asked.

"Huh?!" Kallen said in confusion.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Rei was looking for the cat. He didn't know what to do. Lalah found Rei and went to him.

"Rei, I believe I can help you." Lalah said.

"Y-You can?!" Rei asked, "How?!"

"You forget that Overmen are the pinnacle of evolution. We have abilities a normal human could ever dream of." Lalah said, "I'll locate the cat, you just have to find the means of getting there before eeveryone else, lest your 'Kallen Oneechan' lose her first kiss."

"Wa— alright, go and do it. But make it snappy." Rei said.

"I will try." Lalah said.

She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. She concentrated on the cat. She soon felt the cat's presence and found its location. She opened her eyes.

"It's headed for the bell tower. If you can get to the top of the tower, within the bell, you'd have the cat in your hands." Lalah said.

Rei was already gone as she was talking.

_'Oh dear... I don't think he heard the rest of it.'_ Lalah thought.

* * *

**Broadcasting Room**

"So was there anything about the cat in detail?" Milly asked.

"Well... it's leg seemed hurt judging from the sound of its footsteps. And um... uh... oh!" Nunnally said, "It sounded like this."

Nina held the mic up to Nunnally.

"Meow~~."

* * *

**Outside Campus**

A huge 'meow' could be heard outside the campus as Lloyd and Cecile heard it.

"Jeez, they are going at it like animals in there." Lloyd said.

"I hope Suzaku is fine." Cecile said, "Say, aren't you engaged to the girl who goes here?"

"That's correct." Lloyd said, "Millicent Ashford, Soon-to-be head of the Ashford Foundation that went into some levels of obscurity after Marianne's death. They are desperate for a resurgence."

* * *

**On Campus**

Rei got lost. He ended up in the basement with no sense of direction left. He kept looking around and found what looked like a Knightmare Frame. But it was old, very old. It didn't have anything resembling a cockpit block. It didn't have a head, and it's legs literally had just four landspinners for feet. He hopped in the Knightmare and started it up. Suddenly, the Knightmare was being lifted up onto an elevator.

* * *

**Bell Tower**

Suzaku was climbing on the roof. He continued climbing until he heard the crowd behind him suddenly going wild. Lelouch who got out from a window looked to find out what was making them go crazy. That's when he saw the Ganymede come from out of the basement. His eyes widened and he felt like he was having a heart attack. In the pilot seat was Rei. Suzaku looked in complete disbelief.

_'The hell is a Knightmare doing here?!'_ Suzaku thought.

"Oh my god... I think I must be hallucinating..." Lelouch said to himself.

Lelouch fainted, but not before Rai caught the guy as he was right over the edge.

"Uh... Suzaku? A little help?" Rai asked.

"Hold on! I'll be right there!" Suzaku said.

"Well, uh hurry! He's kinda slipping!" Rai said.

Suzaku went to help Rai as Rei moved the Ganymede over to the bell tower. Everyone quickly got out of the way as the Ganymede went in. The Ganymede extended its hand out to the roof. Rei got onto the arm and went over to the roof where the cat panicked and threw the mask to the side. He quickly jumped low and caught the cat quickly. He got back to the Ganymede and helped the three get back down in the ground. Rei got out of the cockpit and got back onto the ground with the cat in hand. The cat was shaken from all that has happened.

_'Don't worry Kallen Oneechan, your kiss is saved.'_ Rei thought.

"Well I'll be, you three couldn't catch it yet this spud did." Milly said.

"Well uh... I guess we uh... finding and catching cats isn't our thing?" Rai said.

"Ugh! What happened?!" Lelouch said as he quickly got back up.

"It's alright, the cats in good hands. It didn't seem to be carrying anything though." Suzaku said.

"H-Huh?"

"Yup, it was all a goose chase to get us going." Lalah said.

"What? But Nunnally—! She—! I—!"

Lelouch smiled sinisterly, "It's too bad Milly. You'll never find anything embarrassing on me. But I have a good memory of your 'sweet 16' if I'm not mistaken."

Milly gasped as she put her hand on her chest, "You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, but I might, considering what you did." Lelouch said.

"Well I guess I won't be getting that kiss now..." Rivalz moped.

"Congrats Rei." Nunnally said, "As a reward, me and Lalah wanted to tell you something."

"And what's that?" Rei asked.

Lalah And Nunnally looked at each other before they giggled.

"You'll have to lend us your ears." Lalah said.

He leaned over to the two. Suddenly Nunnally and Lalah simultaneously kissed Rei's cheeks. He backed away and looked in surprised. The cat got out of his arms and jumped off him, pushing him over and making him trip over Nunnally. He fell right on top of her. As soon as Lelouch saw it happen, he went over to Nunnally, only to see Rei on top of Nunnally. He gasped in pure shock as he try to absorb all of this. Rei shook his head and looked at Nunnally. It only took him a second to realize that he was on top of her. Her face was as red as a tomato.

"Uh... Nunnally, why is your face red?" Rei asked.

"Well... uh... you... me... uh..." Nunnally said.

"My my~. You are one naughty boy indeed." Milly said.

"Eh?" Rei asked.

"That's quite the advance you took, and you are such an innocent cinnamon bun as well~." Milly said.

"M-Milly!" Nunnally said.

Rei soon had a face redder than Kallen's hair and got off of her, screaming as if he had committed a terrible act.

"I am **SO** sorry! I didn't mean anything by—!"

"N-No... it's ok... it's nothing to be to embarrassed about... trust me." Nunnally said.

Suddenly, Rei felt a killer intent from his right. He turned to see Lelouch looking at him with a intimidating glare in a blank expression with eyes that cried out for his dismemberment and his blood. If glares could kill, Rei would have been dead already. Lalah could feel the chill of death coming from Lelouch's glare. Kallen recognized that kind of glare anywhere. That was the glare of an overprotective brother that would kill anyone in close proximity of his little sister. Oh how it scared the boys away from her... a menacing glare it is. Lelouch placed a hand on Rei and looked at him with a smile.

"Milly is right. You shouldn't be doing things like that." Lelouch said, _'You better be glad that Nunnally is right there and I had plans for you, you silver haired runt. You get to live another day.'_

"Uh... Yeah! I guess that would be wrong..." Rei said with fake laughter, _'it felt like he wanted to kill me for a second there.'_

Suzaku helped Nunnally back on her wheelchair.

"Thanks Suzaku." Nunnally said.

"It's nothing Nunnally." Suzaku said.

"Wait, you know each other?" Rei asked.

"Oh yeah, I think she's is girlfriend." Rai said.

"RAI!" Suzaku exclaimed at Rai.

"What? She sounded like she was." Rai said.

"We never dated at all! What you think that?!" Suzaku asked.

"Sorry, I thought you two were an actually thing... my bad." Rai said.

"Just so you know, we've been friends for 7 long years." Suzaku said, "Jeez... one of these days, you're going to be the death of me."

"Sorry." Rai said.

"Hmm... Milly, you think we can put these three in the student council?" Lelouch asked.

"Hm... I understand the first two, but what about young Moe Howard over there? Isn't he in the same year as Nunnally?" Milly asked.

_'And there it is.'_ Rei thought, _'Now they're gonna call me young Moe Howard because it's 'relatable'.'_

"Well Nunnally would like another friend around." Lelouch said.

"Well, I guess if it's what you want." Milly said, "I'm Milly Ashford."

"Name's Rivalz Cardemonde." Rivalz said, "Nice to meet you new guys!"

Nina looked to Rei with a smile, "I'm Nina Einstein."

She ducked behind the wheelchair.

"The name's Shirley Fenette!" Shirley said.

"And I am Lalah Sune." Lalah said, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"You know, there's something I want to ask." Suzaku said, "How come you know to operate a Knightmare Frame?"

"Oh? That? Well I..." Rei said, trying to find an excuse, "I guess I'm just a natural at it."

"Oh, I see." Suzaku said.

* * *

_**Later...**_

**Gymnasium**

The students were all in the gymnasium as it was time for the funeral of Prince Clovis la Britannia. A broadcast was going live within the palace of Pendragon, the capital of Britannia. Every member of the Imperial Family gathered or was watching the broadcast. Gabriel la Britannia was not present as she had been reported to have been in her room for days after her son's death.

"Now introducing, his majesty, Charles Zi Britannia, 98th Emperor of Britannia." A voice said.

Charles Zi Britannia walked up to the pedestal and held it firmly. He looked at those present and at the cameras that were on him. He took a deep breath.

"All men, are not created equal." Charles said, "Some are born into poverty, some may have been born swifter of foot, some were born into disease while some were born into massive riches. In every scope of human ability, every human is inherently different! That is why we compete!"

Rei looked in scorn, _'That's Naoto-san's enemy...'_

* * *

**TV van**

Diethard was watching a collected footage of Zero while it went on.

"Inequality is **not** wrong! **Equality** is!" Charles said.

* * *

**Naoto's Hideout, Shinjuku Ghetto**

The Red Moon cell were watching the broadcast.

"What of the EU that made _equality_ a right? Rabble politics by a popularity contest!" Charles said, "The Chinese Federation with its _equal_ distribution of wealth? A nation of lazy dullards!"

_'Keep talking old man, soon you'll be off that high horse.'_ Naoto thought.

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

"But not our beloved Britannia, we are a nation that moves forward in the march of progress. We are taking every single step in human evolution!" Charles said, "We fight, we compete, evolution is continuous!"

"Evolution, such a pretty little word." Lloyd said.

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

Durandal and his subordinates watched the broadcast.

"Britannia alone treads towards the future at a steady pace. Even now, we continue to grow stronger and stronger while the EU and the Chinese Federation fail to do the same." The Emperor said, "The death of my son Clovis demonstrates Britannia's commitment to progress! He may have committed unspeakable crimes, but were they really unspeakable? No... they were just the result of his curiosity. Curiosity with something he could not control!"

_'And he was a spoiled brat in the end.'_ Durandal thought.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

"We will fight on, compete, plunder, and dominate! We will deny those who oppose our rule in the colonies **ANY** concessions! Those who spurn Britannia and its people will pay the price severely! We will not show weakness to anyone!" Charles said, "In the end, the future shall be ours!** ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!"**

He raised his fist into the air. Chants of 'All Hail Britannia' could be heard across the gym and the palace. Rei looked at the Emperor with scorn as he clenched his fists.

_'He is... my enemy.'_ Rei thought, _'I will defeat him!'_


	11. Chapter 10: Red Moon and Yamato Alliance

**Chapter 10: The Red Moon and the Yamato Alliance**

Naoto and the Red Moon navigated the underground tunnels until the found someone standing in front of them. He looked to be Japanese.

"Which you one of you is Naoto Kozuki?" The man asked.

"That'd be me." Naoto said as he came forward.

"I see then, the rest of us are waiting for you." The man said.

The Red Moon cell followed the man in the underground tunnels.

"Say, Naoto, are you sure you're right about all of this?" Ohgi whispered.

"Yes, I'm certain of it. If I were her, I'd definitely would do that. It's the only way Zero would ever show his face." Naoto whispered, "If anything it would be the perfect place to set this sort of thing up."

"Even so, are you really sure about all of this?" Ohgi whispered, "Will Zero even show up?"

"He will. Have faith Ohgi." Naoto whispered.

The group kept going until they reached a door.

"The boss is through this door, along with everyone else." The man said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Naoto said.

The man opened the door and everyone went inside. From there, they were in a room with several other Japanese resistance members. There was a TV with a flag of Japan on the wall.

"Naoto Kozuki of the Red Moon, I presume?" A voice asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Naoto said as he came forward, "And are you Izumi of the Yamato Alliance?"

A man with brown hair stepped out from the rest of the group opposite to Naoto's group. He had black eyes and a nice build, wearing an orange sleeved shirt with a brown jacket and brown pants with a black belt. The man had to be Izumi. Izumi of the Yamato Alliance, a resistance group that has been working in the Saitama Ghetto.

"You wanted to speak with me, correct?" Izumi asked.

"Isn't that why I'm here?" Naoto asked.

They came up to each other and shakes hands. The two smiled.

"It's been too long man. I was starting to wonder if you were alive to begin with." Naoto said.

"Same here." Izumi said, "I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, like hell I'd kick the bucket now of all times." Naoto said.

* * *

Rei peaked out from behind Kallen. He looked to Kallen as Naoto and Izumi sat down and began to talk to one another.

"Hey, Kallen Oneechan, how come Naoto-san knows this guy?" Rei asked.

Kallen looked at Rei, "Well they've been good friends for some time before the war."

"Of course, they'd get into some mischief here and there." Ohgi said, "After the war, they never talked ever since they got separated."

"Oh..." Rei said.

* * *

"Are you sure? Is that what's going to happen here?" Izumi asked.

"Yeah, I'm certain of it. She's going to lure Zero out the only way she knows how." Naoto said, "It'd be insulting his intelligence and hurting his pride to do that."

"Is that why you're here? You want to help us?" Izumi asked.

"You're goddamn right about that assumption." Naoto said, "There's already been one massacre already, like hell there's gonna be another one."

"So what are we gonna do then?" Izumi asked.

"Why it's that simple really," Naoto said, "What she wants is another Shinjuku, we're gonna deny her of that."

Izumi smiled, "Through a few changes into the script while keeping it the same as the original material?"

"Exactly." Naoto said, "She won't know what will hit her. She thinks this place will be where she kills Zero. Instead, this place is going to be the grave of her Royal Guard and a reminder of her soon-to-damaged pride!"

* * *

The Yamato Alliance were shaken upon hearing that. They began muttering to themselves. A group of five Japanese teenagers were looking at Naoto. Most of them boys while there was a girl among them.

"The Royal Guard?" A girl with short black hair and pink eyes asked, "He can't be serious."

She was wearing a sleeveless hoodie below a white sailor uniform. She had a kodachi on her along with some black shorts with a red belt.

"From what I heard, he saved the Blood of the Samurai." A boy with spiky light brown hair and light green eyes, "He even fought Cornelia herself if the rumors are true."

The boy was wearing a blue uniform with a blue shirt under it.

"He's got guts for saying that though." A boy with brown hair and brown eyes said.

He was wearing a black leather jacket and pants with buttons and pins on the front and a Japanese character that translated to 'bravery' on the back.

"Does he think we stand a chance against the Royal Guard?" A boy with freckles and curly orange grey hair wearing a pair of glasses said.

The boy had a jacket and some pants. He had a portable device with him. His eyes were an orange color.

"Of course we do, the Red Moon has the Blue King, the Red Queen, and the White Jack. If Zero comes in, we'll win." A boy with dark blue hair and navy blue eyes said, "Besides, we have you 3."

"Jeez, you don't have to lump pressure on us." The dark brown haired boy said.

The girl was looking at Rei, who was looking at her.

_'That kid... is he with them?'_ The girl thought.

* * *

"Come on! What's wrong with you? You all call yourselves Japanese, right?" Naoto said to the members of the Yamato Alliance, "The Japan Liberation Front hasn't done anything since Shinjuku ever happened! Times are changing and we got to keep up with it! If we don't take Cornelia on, then who's gonna do it then?!"

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

Lelouch was in his room collecting his thoughts about what happened with the cat chase. The boy CC found had Geass, but it wasn't the same as his. Instead of it being one that could command, it was one that could manipulate space. From what he had seen and from what he theorized, the boy must have a Geass that takes the boy's own thoughts into a physical form by creating a false axis. It is a power that breaks the laws of physics and physically alters the space around the user.

CC had told him that the boy didn't activate the power of his own will, it was triggered without him knowing that he had triggered it. It was strange that such a thing could even happen. Nonetheless, the boy was a special case indeed. With the power of Geass, his ability to operate a Knightmare Frame, and his Overman abilities that have yet to be tapped into, he was a vital asset in Lelouch's desire to destroy Britannia and everything it stood for while molding the world to the one Nunnally wished for. The boy would make a good apprentice. Lelouch couldn't wait to teach the boy all that he knew of and pass the mask onto him to ensure that he continued what he started and brought the world into a new future, a future Nunnally could be happy in.

* * *

**Sub-Viceroy's Office, Tokyo Settlement**

Euphie looked saddened.

* * *

**_A few hours earlier..._**

"Saitama Ghetto?" Euphie asked.

"Yes, Cornelia is heading an operation there. There's a terrorist group called the Yamato Alliance, at least half the people are cooperating with them." Durandal said.

"But is there any evidence linking anyone there at all?" Euphie asked.

Durandal shook his head, "No. I'm afraid not. She believes they are working with them nonetheless."

"Why would she believe something like that without any proof?" Euphie asked.

"You forget she detests Numbers." Durandal said, "But with Elevens, it's more personal than just policy."

"You mean it's because..."

"Yes. It's a shame she still holds a grudge after all those years. Now it's gotten bigger with Clovis' death." Durandal said.

She looked down in sadness, "When is it going to start?"

"Hmm... she had the media to announce the time for it to begin." Durandal said.

"What? But why?" Euphie asked.

Durandal chuckles, "It's obvious, isn't it? You know why she would do it."

She thought about it for a few seconds. A sudden flash went through her thoughts.

"It's Zero, isn't it?" Euphie asked, "She wants to lure Zero out."

"Correct." Durandal said, "This is all a trap to lure Zero out. Think of it as killing two birds in one stone."

* * *

**_Present_**

_'Sister... you still want to avenge Clovis? After all he did? Why? Why can't you let it go? Vengeance will only...'_

* * *

**ASEEC Hangar**

Suzaku was in his pilot suit, doing his homework with Rai while Cecile were keeping them company with a batch of rice balls on a tray.

"Sorry you have to sit with us while we're doing homework." Suzaku said.

"It's no problem." Cecile said with a smile, "You haven't gone through normal school before, so it can be helped."

"Well, we got the Student Council helping us out here." Rai said, "That and we fit in just fine. I mean it is fairly liberal school."

"And an old friend smoothed things over for me and Rai." Suzaku said.

"Speaking of which, that Lelouch guy you know, how long have you known each other for?" Rai asked.

"7 years actually." Suzaku said with a laugh as he recalled the good old days of his friendship with Lelouch, "Oh those were the days."

Cecile smiled, "You have quite a wonderful friend. Value that friendship well. I'm sure your reunion will turn from a coincidence to an inevitability."

"But what about me?" Rai asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot you were there just now! Forgive me, I—"

"No no. It's ok." Rai said, "Besides, you could say it was inevitable that I'd be with you guys."

"You should go ahead and try the rice balls I cooked." Cecile said.

The two took a rice ball each and took a bite. They were surprised to see that there was jam in it.

"Is this... blueberry jam?" Rai asked.

"Huh?! How did you know?" Cecile asked.

"Well... I just do... for some reason." Rai said.

A quick image of a little girl flashed in his mind. It was only there for a second before it vanished.

"You must have gotten some blueberries while you were out." Suzaku said.

"I... I guess that's true." Cecile said.

"Alright! That's enough!" Lloyd spoke loudly, "Pack everything for the night! It's all over! Congratulations! Thank you very much!" He waved his arms before looking beat.

The three looked surprised. Rai stood up.

"Well, come on. Let's go to Ashford." Rai said, "Our classes maybe over, but I guess it's important if we got to know our friends better."

"R-Right! Of course." Suzaku said.

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

In the Council Room, Lalah, Shirley, and Nina were setting up a house for their new cat friend to live in. Shirley sighed heavily.

"Shirley? What seems to be the problem? Is something on your mind?" Lalah asked.

"It's about Kallen." Shirley said.

"Let me guess, it's about her and Lelouch." Lalah said.

Shirley became red in the face, "WHA-WHA-WHAT?!"

"I was right, wasn't I?" Lalah asked.

Shirley struggled to get a word out. She was speaking in gibberish. Lalah sighed with levels of disappointment.

"Why don't you just give him a call and tell him how you feel." Lalah said, "It should never be that hard."

Again, she was speaking in gibberish. Lalah clapped Shirley's cheeks, "Calm down."

Shirley looked at Lalah with confusion.

"Just calm down and tell me about it." Lalah said.

Lalah released Shirley's face and gave her time to calm down.

"Ok, I just think Kallen and Lulu are... well, dating." Shirley said, "Oh if I just told him how I felt about him sooner..."

Lalah comforted Shirley, "Now now, I don't think they're dating."

Shirley looked at Lalah with doubt.

"And how do you know?" Shirley asked.

"Because Lelouch tends to hide things, doesn't he? What could Kallen possibly have to hide?" Lalah asked, "If he really was hiding something like that, shouldn't you ask him to confirm it?"

"No! The reality is too painful!" Shirley exclaimed as she held her head.

Nina comforts Shirley, "Just be yourself, tell him how you feel deep down inside."

"Oh he wouldn't understand! All he would get out of me is nothing but gibberish!" Shirley said, "So this is what an existential crisis feels like."

"It's not that bad. I mean, even if he is taken, there's other fish in the sea." Lalah said.

Arthur walked in and nudged Lalah, who promptly holds the cat up. Arthur meowed in response.

"Who's a good cat? Who's a good cat?" Lalah asked as she rubbed it gently, making the cat purr, "Yes you are! Yes you are!"

* * *

**Reuben's Office**

Milly was on a phone call with her mother over an arranged marriage.

"I know you want to get the Ashford name back together, but..." Milly said, "Is an arranged marriage really necessary?"

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement**

Rivalz saw a G-1 Base with several Britannian ground forces moving alongside it. They were headed for Saitama.

_'Holy cow... they look even bigger from here...' _Rivalz thought, _'They must have a huge interior with something that big.'_

Sugiyama was watching from a distance and turned his communicator on, "Naoto, they're coming."

* * *

**Underground Base**

"So it's true then. They're really going to do it." Izumi said.

"Yeah. It seems that way." Naoto said, "She wants a repeat of Shinjuku to lure Zero out. It's time we put my script change into action."

"You think we can beat them?" Izumi asked.

"Well it's that or we die trying. Now then," Naoto said as he got up, "It's time we show the Goddess of Victory that Lady Luck isn't with her this time."

Naoto looked to Ohgi, "Ohgi, get the civilians out of here."

"Right." Ohgi said.

"Rei, Kallen, you're on standby. Have those Gloucesters ready to go. When I give the signal, we do it." Naoto said.

"Right! Naoto-San!" Rei said as he jumped out.

"Got it!" Kallen said.

Izumi turned to his subordinates, "Alright then, listen up you idiots. We're going along with Naoto's plan! If Zero shows up, do as he says."

He looked to the teens, "And you kids are on standby."

"Standby? That's not fair." The light brown haired boy said.

"Hey, it's bossman's orders Koji, we got to follow them." The girl said.

"Aya is right." The brown haired kid said.

"Oh not you too Akihiro..." Koji said.

"Have the equipment set up." The grey haired boy said, "I'm counting on you Kai."

"Hey! Don't lump pressure on me!" Kai said, "Why do you got to do that to me Ren?"

* * *

**G-1 Base**

There was a meeting going on in the bridge as the Britannian forces circled the Ghetto.

"We've surrounded the Saitama Ghetto. The Yamato Alliance is currently hiding here." Darlton said, "Half of the people here are cooperating with them as far as we know."

"What will be the effect on overall production?" Cornelia asked.

"About a 0.2 percent decrease in the primary sector." He replied.

"Within projected expectations you mean..." Cornelia said before she looked to the staff officers that were under Clovis' orders, "You all participated in the Shinjuku Incident, correct?"

"Yes your highness." The staff officers said, "We are humbly grateful in your mercy."

"Oh spare me." Cornelia said, "You were all just accessories to what my brother was doing to hide that abominable secret. That's not even why I brought you here. Are the conditions similar?"

"Huh?" One of them said, "Similar to what?"

Cornelia smiled, "To Shinjuku I mean."

* * *

**HiTV Studio, Tokyo Settlement**

"Military authorities report that Viceroy Cornelia is heading an operation in the Saitama Ghetto to eliminate a terrorist group that has been in hiding there." A reporter said, "As Viceroy Cornelia is there, all entry points have been restricted. The assault will begin in two hours. Consequently power will be cut to the following areas..."

Diethard looked at this with disgust, _'She's trying to lure Zero out.'_

He rubbed his chin, _'What will he do now?'_

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Ohgi and the Red Moon were evacuating the civilians through the underground tunnels. The group directed the civilians along with everyone in charge to the tunnels.

"Come on! Come on! Pick up the pace!" Tamaki said.

"The assault will begin as soon as the Britannians are given the word." Minami said, "Just stay calm and walk in an orderly manner. Women and children first."

"That's it, easy now." Inoue said.

"Keep it going." Yoshida said.

"That's it... That's it... keep it going... keep it going..." Ohgi said, _'I hope his plan works.'_

Out in a bombed out building, Naoto waited inside his Gloucester. He smiled as he recollected his thoughts on his plan.

_'And with this, the first phase of my plan is complete...'_ Naoto thought, _'Now for the second phase of my plan.'_

He whipped out his phone and made a call to Zero.

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

Lelouch was on the phone with Naoto.

"Yes, I'm heading down there right now. I'll contact you as soon as I get in." Lelouch said, "How's the situation there?"

"It's going smoothly, I got the Yamato Alliance to work with us. Right now, we're moving the civilians out through the tunnels." Naoto said, "There hasn't been a fuss lately, so they should all be safe by now."

"Good, that'll make things easier for us." Lelouch said, "And what about Rei, is he—?"

"The kid is fine." Naoto said, "I've had everything set up. Don't worry. I've got things under control here. There should be no problems for now. Better hurry though, they'll start within an hour."

"Right." Lelouch said, "I'll see you when I get there."

"Good, later then." Naoto said.

"Bye." Lelouch said before hanging up and grabbing his bag.

He turned to see CC holding a pistol. He chuckled.

"I see you'll go to any extent to keep me from dying." Lelouch said, "Tell me, has there been other people you've made a contract with? Or am I just the first one?"

"That doesn't matter." CC said, "You're not going anywhere."

He chuckled, "You're right, you'd just shoot me in the leg if I move so much as an inch from where I am now."

"Exactly. I will not let you die because of your stubbornness." CC said.

He laughed. This confused her.

"What's so funny?" CC asked.

"Oh? You want to know?" Lelouch asked with a sinister smile, "It is exactly as you said, you wouldn't let me die from my stubbornness. But that's where you're wrong."

He reached into his pocket and drew a gun out and quickly pointed it at his head. CC's eyes widened.

"You..." CC said, "You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, but I would given how I was already dead." Lelouch said, "Now you only have a few options."

He smiled even more sinisterly, "You either let me go, or I can just blow my head off."


	12. Chapter 11: The Ambush of Saitama

**Chapter 11: The Ambush in Saitama**

Lelouch had the gun pointed at his head with his finger in the trigger. He was giving the immortal girl only a few options, life or death. She didn't think he would go that far. Not even once did she think he was capable of something like this. He smiled sinisterly.

"Come on, I'm waiting." Lelouch said, "I'm only giving you 60 seconds to decide which is more important. My life or your wish."

CC couldn't believe this. She thought he would quietly give up. Instead, now shes practically forced into a situation where she would either cave to him or let him kill himself. She hated going with the former, and she wouldn't let the latter to happen. She had a contract with him, therefore, if he dies, her wish stays unfulfilled and he'd be dead. It wouldn't matter what decision she makes, he'll die anyway.

"You really want to die that badly?" CC asked.

"Didn't I say it? I was already dead by the time you and I forged this contract." Lelouch said, "I was nothing more but a corpse. A corpse that clings onto a dying world. Id rather be dead than continuing on as a corpse."

His finger was itching.

"Alright!" She said as she pointed the gun down, "I'll let you go. But you better not die."

Lelouch withdrew the gun from his head and smiled, "That's good. Now then, where was I? Oh yes. I was going to pay Cornelia a visit."

* * *

**G-1 Base, Saitama Ghetto**

The G-1 was parked by the entry way of the Ghetto. There were ruined buildings just ahead of the G-1. The preparations had been made. The scouts have reported that there hasn't been a sign of any activity in the Ghetto. It was a ghost town. Darlton scowled after he heard it and thought about everything all over.

"Ma'am, something isn't right." Darlton said.

"Hm?" Cornelia's attention was piqued by her Knight, "Ah, you mean there hasn't been any report of Zero or any terrorists, correct?"

"No... that's not it." Darlton said, "The Ghetto is nothing more but a ghost town from what the scouts told me."

"Yes, I can see that." Cornelia said, "Guilford? Your input?"

"It may not look like it, but it feels like the raid on the Blood of the Samurai all over again." Guilford said.

"The Blue King again?" Cornelia asked before her face changed to a face of bitterness, "I'm still bitter about what he did the last time we met. The bastard pulled a fast one on us."

"That I can agree your highness." Darlton said, "He would make an excellent right hand man for Zero."

"S-Sir Darlton—!"

"I said would, not could. I'm only talking from a tactical standpoint." Darlton said, "Besides, it's not everyday that we get to face an enemy commander that is a witty bastard. Not even the EU or the Chinese have guys like that."

"O-Of course my lord." One of Clovis' staff officers said, "Pardon my words, I—"

"No no. It's only natural that commanders on both sides respect one another in terms of tactical capabilities." Darlton said.

"So do we go as planned then, your highness?" One of Cornelia's staff officers asked.

"Why of course." Cornelia said. She looked to Darlton, "Darlton, the honor is yours."

"Yes your highness." Darlton said, "All forces, commence the destruction of the Saitama Ghetto!"

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

And just like that, Sutherlands, tanks, infantrymen, and APCs were heading into the Ghetto. Outside the engagement zone was the Purebloods on standby. Jeremiah looked frustrated.

"Damn! Why aren't we ordered to go in?" Jeremiah asked.

"It's because of **you**." Kewell said with a sour tone, "It's because of **you** that our careers are over!"

Jeremiah looked crossed at Kewell. Viletta on the other hand was thinking about a strange connection that had formed in her mind.

_'Me, Jeremiah, and that ex-civil servant Bartley all had our memories jumbled. Neither of us remembered anything that we did. I lost my Sutherland, yet I don't even know how it got stolen. Jeremiah let them get away, but even he doesn't remember how it all happened, and then Bartley doesn't even remember why he left Prince Clovis with Zero.'_ Villetta thought, _'That school boy from Shinjuku... that school boy from Shinjuku must be connected to all of this. There isn't any other way about it. If I can just find a connection to him and Zero, I'll...'_

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate, Tokyo Settlement**

"You want to go it alone?" Schnee asked.

"Sir, isn't that a bit too risky? What if you get killed?" Ledo asked.

"Boys, boys. You know me better than that." Durandal said, "It'll be a great opportunity to push myself and the Grail a little bit more. Besides, we are testing one another. The Grail is testing me and I am testing it. Besides, it's a 7th Generation Knightmare Frame that surpasses even the Lancelot in output."

"Well that's true and all, but—"

"We don't know if your body can even handle being thrashed around in there!" Schnee said.

"Don't worry. I had a pilot suit made just for me to pilot the Grail. I'll be fine." Durandal said.

"I... I see." Schnee said.

"Well then... good hunting sir." Ledo said.

"Thank you boys." Durandal said.

He had the Grail loaded onto a truck. Durandal left to go get his new pilot suit. Schnee got in the front while Ledo got in the driver seat.

"You have a driver's license, right?" Schnee asked.

"Pft! Duh! Of course I do!" Ledo said, "What kind of Knight doesn't have a drivers license?"

"Of course... why should I even ask it when it's you?" Schnee asked.

Ledo started the truck as Durandal came out in his new pilot suit. It was colored with red and gold. Its materials were those used by pilots in the Air Force.

"Now then, time to go backstage." Durandal said as he got inside the truck and entered the Knightmare Frame.

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

The place was a ghost town. Darlton had ordered the search to be extended. Every house and alley was empty. Lelouch was watching over using a Britannian soldier disguise. He stood on an overpass.

_'It's always the same. It doesn't matter who the leader is, Britannia will never change.'_ Lelouch thought.

A Sutherland got up on the overpass and looked down onto Lelouch.

"You there, what's your name and rank?" The pilot asked with the speaker on.

Lelouch turned to the Sutherland, "My name is Ario Deltores from the 8th Infantry Squad. I have a data disk left behind by the terrorists and thought command should look at it."

The hatched open and the pilot stood out, "Alright then, I'll take a look at it."

Lelouch smiled as his eye lit up with Geass.

**"But before you do, hand me your Sutherland."** Lelouch commanded.

The red beam of light shot out and was absorbed into the pilot's eye. Soon, he was under the influence of Geass.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Cornelia was beginning to feel impatient. Her fingers tapped on her seat for almost a minute now.

"Did the train carrying the Sutherlands arrive yet?" Cornelia asked.

"Yes." Darlton said, "They should be using them by now."

"Then why is it quiet?" Cornelia asked.

Darlton thought about that, "Hmm... Yes, that is worrying."

"Hm?"

"Think about it, it's all too quiet. It's like they're waiting for something, but what?" Darlton asked.

"You're sure they didn't just escape?" Guilford asked.

"Like hell they did. If they did, we'd be getting reports that they **did** escape." Darlton said, "It's too damn quiet... I suspect something is wrong."

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Two Sutherlands were moving about, looking around with suspense hanging them by the neck.

"It's quiet... too quiet..." The pilot of the first Sutherland said.

"Yeah... it is too quiet. Should we go underground?" The second pilot asked.

"No. There's not much room or ground to cover. We'd get blasted in there." The first pilot said.

The second pilot sighed, "I'd just wish there was something else we could do other than hunting down some terrorists."

Two rockets were fired out of a building and slammed right into the chests of the two Sutherlands. The pilots were killed in the explosions, following up with the destruction of their Knightmare Frames.

A squad of infantrymen went inside a house. A soldier tripped a wire that was hooked up to an explosive filled with liquid sakuradite. Explosive detonated with a pink burst of flame and shrapnel hitting the soldiers and blowing the house up in a pink smoke.

A tank was hit with three consecutive rockets and exploded. Inoue and three others looked amazed.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"So they finally make a move..." Darlton said.

The staff officers began issuing commands to the troops while Cornelia watches the battle as it went on.

_'Zero, have you shown up? Or is it the Blue King again?'_ Cornelia thought, _'Either way... you're mine.'_

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

A trio of Sutherlands were shot through the wall by a group of Sutherlands led by one of Izumi's lieutenants. A VTOL was shot down with a slash harken. A tank was blasted by a Sutherland wielding a cannon. A squad of Knightmares were mowed down.

Lelouch watched the map screen as he was issuing his orders through his Sutherland. He did find it a bit strange that the terrorists were going along with his directions quite well. It didn't matter to him though, just as long as they do as he says is enough.

_'If I continue this, I should be able to isolate Cornelia. She has no idea about who she is facing.'_ Lelouch thought, "P-7, close the enemy route now."

A bridge was destroyed with some well placed explosives, sending all who were on the bridge to fall right into the watery moat of Saitama itself.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"Point 1-7 lost! Halley Team is lost!" Staff officer said.

"Alright that's enough. Have our men fall back." Cornelia said.

"But madam! With all due respect, we can—!"

"Not like this." Cornelia said before smiling, "Besides, this is the first condition of my plan. Darlton?"

"As you wish." Darlton said, "All forces retreat. Formation doesn't matter. Gather at the G-1. Formation doesn't matter."

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Just like that, the Britannians fall back towards the G-1. Lelouch was watching them fall back.

_'Had enough already?'_ Lelouch thought, _'Should I lure you out? Or do I move in?'_

While Lelouch was considering his options, a Knightmare was unknowingly sneaking behind him.

_'If I slip in with the retreating forces, that will bring me one step closer to Cornelia.'_

"'If I slip in with the retreating forces, that will bring me one step closer to Cornelia' is what you're probably thinking right now."

_'Huh?! What the—?!'_

"Behind you." A familiar voice said on the phone Lelouch was using as a communicator to the terrorists.

He looked behind himself to see a blue Gloucester with a rifle pointed at the Sutherland's head. Lelouch recognized that color scheme anywhere! It was—!

"Naoto Kozuki!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Exactly!" Naoto said, "Kept you waiting huh?"

"How did—?! When did—?! What is—?!"

"Calm down. You'll lose your head if you think about it too hard."

Lelouch quickly calmed down and recollected his thoughts. He looked furious afterward after he saw the enemy take up a rank-and-file formation.

"You idiot! Now look what you did!" Lelouch said.

"I know, I just saved your behind from an obvious trap and then you yell at me for it like you were asking yourself to be trapped." Naoto said, "Now is that something the man behind the mask wants?"

"T-Trapped?" Lelouch asked.

"Exactly." Naoto said, "See how all of this almost mirrors Shinjuku?"

Now that Lelouch thought about, all of it does mirror Shinjuku in almost every way. A thought quickly struck his mind.

"Let me guess, you're thinking 'she set all of this up just so she could capture me'. Am I right?" Naoto asked.

Lelouch gasped, "But... how? How **did** you... **when** did you..."

"I figured that's what she'd do." Naoto said, "It wouldn't have mattered if she lost most of her fishing line. If she had you in her bucket of fish, all she had to do was open it and see if one of the fish was a rare one."

"What are you talking about?" Lelouch asked.

A flash of brilliance hit his head. _'Of course!'_

It was all becoming clear now. Cornelia would have forced all the pilots out of their Knightmare Frames, putting him on the spot if he went through it or tried to break out. He would have been finished. That would have been it for him! He would have been killed with no way out!

"So you knew I'd come here to try it all over again without me knowing it was all a set up?"

"Well... if you put it that way, I guess so."

Lelouch sighed, "How foolish of me to underestimate you and Cornelia."

"So you admit that you're not the only one." Naoto grinned.

"Yes. I thought only I was the only one who could outwit my enemy. Now I've been proven wrong." Lelouch looked ashamed of his overconfidence. "Cornelia nearly baited me and you were waiting for me."

"Don't beat yourself up. Besides, now we can flip this all on her head and force a reversal on her." Naoto said.

He puts the rifle down and extended his hand out.

"What do you say buddy, are you with me?" Naoto asked.

Lelouch felt a connection between him and Naoto. Naoto didn't even know if he was Japanese, and yet trusted him dearly. It made him think about his friendship with Suzaku. It was like Naoto was treating him like he was his younger brother if not how a loyal subordinate would treat his commander. He took the hand with gratitude.

"Tell me, what was the rest of your plan? To taunt Cornelia into coming out?"

"Now you're thinking what I'm thinking."

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Everything was set. Cornelia looked to Guilford.

"Guilford, if you would." Cornelia said.

"Yes your highness." Guilford said.

"Should I come with you?" Darlton asked.

"I'll be fine on my own. You don't have to treat me like I'm one of your children."

"Just come back alive." Darlton said as the two men smiled, "At least give my kids a story they'll want to hear."

"I will." Guilford said before he left the bridge.

* * *

**Student Council Room, Ashford Academy**

Suzaku and Rai came in the student council room to find Shirley looking down.

"Uh... Shirley, are you feeling ok?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh... I'm fine..." Shirley said, "I just hope Lulu isn't doing something crazy like those gambling trips with Rivalz."

"Gambling?" Rai asked.

"Yeah, he usually goes gambling with Rivalz." Shirley said as she looked utterly down, "I keep telling him to stop, but he's like a kid. He won't stop until it gets boring."

"That's a bad habit." Rai said.

"I'm sure there's a good reason for it." Suzaku said.

"Sure... I suppose so." Shirley said.

Rai suddenly had a flash of brilliance, "Why do you like Lelouch?"

"L-L-Like?!" Shirley said, now getting uppity. "I don't just like him! I have freaking crush on the guy!"

She quickly covered her mouth and turned away as Suzaku looked surprised.

"A crush? When did that start?!" Suzaku asked.

She looked back at Suzaku with her mouth uncovered. She sighed.

"It all started... about when we were just freshmen." Shirley said.

* * *

**In the skies of Area 11**

Euphemia was in her Gloucester that was being transported to the Saitama Ghetto. She thought it would be a smart move as all entry points were cut off. She thought about the well-being of her sister. In the midst of that thinking, she began to think about the boy she met. It made her shudder to see the boy suddenly recover from such horrific wounds. Seeing him getting gunned down made her heart break and her body shudder in distress. She never wanted to see that again. It was something she now felt had to happen no more. She clutched her chest as she thought about the boy. She was hoping that he would fit in.

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

"So there was this old couple that were in an accident and a tow truck came by." Rai said.

"That's it." Shirley said.

"And then you saw him deliberately putting the cable on the car of the guy who harassed the couple." Rai said.

"That's also correct." Shirley said.

"Next thing you know, the light turns green and the truck takes off with the car with the guy in hot pursuit." Rai said, "And that's where your crush came in, right?"

"Yeah. That's about it." Shirley said, "He didn't smile or laugh, he just looked pretty normal."

Rai and Suzaku began to think about it.

"Don't you think it may have something to do with Nunnally? I mean, her being a cripple and all." Rai mentioned.

"Huh... I never thought of it that way." Shirley said.

Suzaku went over to the phone and began dialing a number.

"Uh... Suzaku, you aren't doing what I think you're doing?" Rai asked.

"Calling Lelouch." Suzaku said.

Shirley's eyes widened from hearing that. Rai quickly intervened and held her at bay.

"Stop! What are you thinking?!" Shirley said in a frantic panic.

"Just tell him how you feel. I'm sure he'll understand." Suzaku said.

"Yeah, or you can be yourself!" Rai said before he looked to Suzaku, "A little help would be nice, Suzaku! I think she's overpowering me here!"

"WHAT KIND OF GARBAGE ADVICE IS THAT?!" She said in a demonic tone.

"A little help?!" Rai said, "I really need you on this!"

"Hold on, let me just..."

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Lelouch's phone rang. It was the Student Council.

"I thought the Cat festival was tomorrow." Lelouch said to himself.

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

Shirley quickly overpowered Rai and threw him at Suzaku. Shirley went over to the phone and hung up. Suzaku quickly picked up the phone as Shirley held the damned thing.

"Come on Shirley, just one call. It wouldn't hurt if it's coming from him." Suzaku said.

"NO! IT ISN'T!" Shirley exclaimed.

"I assure you. He'll understand." Suzaku said.

"NO HE—!"

They both tripped and fell on each other. Lalah came in and saw Suzaku on top of Shirley. She looked rather disappointed with her.

"So what was that about love again?" Lalah asked.

"WAIT! ITS NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Rai exclaimed.

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Lelouch found the call to have ended before it began.

_'What the hell is going on over there?'_ Lelouch thought, _'Wait a minute... is Milly planning something again?'_

"Hey, eyes up." Ren said, "I hear noises..."

Koji started up his Glasgow and aimed the rifle down from the tall building he was in.

"Noise? Can you identify?" Koji asked.

"I hear... Gloucesters! I can hear at least 5 of them." Ren said.

"Better make that 14, because that's what I'm seeing!" Koji said.

14 Gloucesters were moving in a formation with Guilford as the lead.

"Judging from their aesthetic, I'd say Royal Guard." Koji said.

"Good, time for the second phase." Naoto said, "Do it!"

"Got it." A male resistance member said.

The man switched on the IFF on and got out and went to a safe place.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

A friendly blip showed up on the map.

"A friendly! It must have been captured by the enemy!" One of Clovis' staff officers said.

"No, destroy it." Cornelia said.

"What?!" The staff officer questioned.

"Those who disobey my orders are useless." Cornelia said, "Guilford,"

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

"Yes! Your highness!" Guilford said as the four Gloucesters behind him went to surround the Sutherland.

They all simultaneously pierced the Knightmare with their lances. Finch, who was at the back noticed that it was empty.

"Sir, the unit is empty." Finch said.

"What?" Guilford asked, _'Empty, but why?'_

Izumi smiled as he watched the Britannians stand in the trap that was set.

"Do it!" Izumi said.

Just like that, the resistance members tossed smoke bombs and pressed on a detonator, causing bombs to explode. Smoke began to cloud the Royal Guard and their vision. Guilford was caught off guard by all of this.

_'A trap?!'_ Guilford thought, "Scatter!"

"Too late." Koji said as he took a shot.

A bullet hits Finch's Gloucester on the chest, killing Finch and destroying his Gloucester.

"FINCH!" Guilford exclaimed.

Naoto jumped out of a building and jabbed his spear onto a Royal Guardsmen and killed him with his lance. Naoto quickly jumped off the Gloucester as it exploded.

"HEINEL!" Guilford said, "Damnit! Scatter! Get out of here! Move! Move!"

The Royal Guard quickly split up as Koji fired a shot and got a left arm off one of the Gloucesters. Kallen came out from underground and attacked Guilford. Guilford blocked the lance and was being forced back.

"Damn you!" Guilford said.

Kallen roared as she pushed the knight back. A Guardsman was coming at her from behind. Aya's Glasgow came out with two tonfas our and blocked a lance. Aya pushed back the Guardsman.

"Damn! An ambush!" Guilford shouted.

"What do we do lord Guilford?! We're scattered and we're fighting more opponents!" A Guardsman said, "We got the Blue King with Bradford, Ericsson, Quartz, and Marth. And then we have the White Jack with Guderian, Jackson, Reinaldo, and Michelson!"

"Then that leaves me with Hilderof, Anderson, and Drake against the Red Queen..." Guilford said, "Fine by me then! Let them try us! We'll show them the difference in experience in Knightmare combat!"

"Yes! My lord!" The Royal Guard said, "For Cornelia li Britannia's honor as the Goddess of Victory! All Hail Britannia!"

With Naoto was Akihiro in his Glasgow that had two cannons folded out. And covering Rei was Koji and his rifle.

"Alright! Now for the third phase!" Naoto said, "We'll beat her knights to a bloody pulp!"

"Right!" Kallen said.

_'For everyone's sake!'_ Rei thought.

"Nippon Banzai!" The resistance members said.

Rei's Gloucester was equipped with a cannon manned on his right arm and a lance held in his left. The Gloucesters began to charge at him. Rei backed away from the Gloucesters. They began to move in a different pattern. Rei fires at the Gloucesters, making them disperse. One Gloucester got behind Rei and jumped in. Rei quickly felt a danger approaching him from behind and quickly rolled to the side. He unknowingly dodged the attack. Koji fires a shot at the Gloucester. The Guardsman quickly moved out of the way and quickly retreated. One Guardsman was shooting at Rei. Rei quickly moved and fired at the Gloucester firing at him. Rei felt hostility coming from behind and turned to see a Guardsman coming down with his lance coming at him.

Rei quickly blocked the attack and forced the Guardsman back. Koji fires a shot and managed to score a right arm off the Guardsman, leaving him with only his gun.

Michelson looked absolutely spooked from what he had seen.

"It's almost like he's accurately predicting all our moves or something like that..." Michelson said.

"It's a fluke," Jackson said, "He can't be doing it. It's impossible."

"Maybe if we use our favorite tactics, it might confuse him." Reinaldo said.

"Right then!" Guderian said.

The Guardsmen began employing their favorite tactics that included hit and run and other attack methods. One after the the other, they came out and charged with their lance before moving out of the way before Rei could get a shot on them. Koji had trouble hitting the fast bastards. Suddenly, something strange was happening. Rei could feel an attack coming from behind and turned to see Jackson was jumping toward him. He quickly fired a shot at the Gloucester and saw the round hit its chest.

"What! No! How did he get me?!" Jackson said as his Gloucester exploded.

Guderian came out and attacked Rei, only for him to quickly turn to Guderian and throw him over. Koji fires and hits Guderian, killing him and destroying his Knightmare.

_'It's like... I can feel and see... what they're about to do...' _Rei thought, _'I can do it! I can do it! If I can mentally predict their next action—!'_

"You got lucky punk!" Reinaldo said as he came from behind.

Rei quickly turned around and dodged and incoming lance and fired a shot at the Gloucester's back.

"No! This can't be!" Reinaldo said before his unit blew up.

Rei saw Michelson and quickly rushed to him. Michelson panicked and started shooting with the remaining arm left. Rei fires a cannon shot and destroys the last arm before knocking Michelson down and towered over him. Michelson felt death in front of him.

"It's him... the one who faced Lancelot..." Michelson, "Rachel... forgive me... I guess I won't be having that date..."

_'I'm sorry... but I have no choice...'_ Rei thought, "Rest in peace."

He thrusted his spear into Michelson. He threw up blood as he felt his organs being crushed and pierced.

"Forgive me... mother... I should have been... a doctor..."

His Gloucester exploded. Rei felt sorrow for what he had done. He let himself be alone so he could collect his thoughts. Koji looked surprised.

"I'll be damned. The White Jack knows how to impress." Koji said, "Still, how did he mentally predict their attacks in his head I wonder..."

* * *

Guilford couldn't believe it with his own eyes and with his glasses on. Four of his best men were killed by a single Gloucester. A single Gloucester did that by itself. It was clear to him that the White Jack was not like the Red Queen he was struggling with or the Blue King who outwitted Cornelia. The White Jack was almost... inhuman. A smack from the Queen's Gloucester snapped him out of his trance as he was tossed into a building.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Cornelia was starting to look worried and frightened from what she was seeing. She wanted this all to be some really terrible dream she had brought onto herself. She pinched her cheek, only to find that she was awake and was witnessing the first loss in her career as a military commander and the utter annihilation of her Royal Guard. Clovis' staff officers looked worried. Darlton looked like he was about to leave the bridge out of anger from not hearing Cornelia giving him the order to head out. He clenches his fist in anger as he watched it go on.

_'Come on Guilford! You're a tough bastard! You never lost against anyone, least of all some damn terrorists!'_ Darlton thought, "Princess, give me the order to head out!"

Cornelia was snapped out of her trance and looked to her knight.

"Give me the order to head out! I'll drag him back over here and get the rest of our guys out!" Darlton said.

"N-no!" One of Clovis' staff officers exclaimed, "Y-You can't! You'll be killed in battle my lord!"

"So I should just stand here and let them die?! They're my men too damnit! We just lost six of them, and one of them was fresh out of Knighthood!" Darlton said, _'If I knew, this was going to happen, I would have brought the Glaston Knights with me!'_

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Drake came out from behind Kallen. Kallen jumped out of the way and tossed Guilford towards Drake. The two hit each other and fell over. Guilford was slammed into another building as Drake fell over. He got up and started firing at the red Gloucester. She thrusts her lance at the Gloucester. It dodged the lance. She quickly redirected herself and jabbed it into the Gloucester before hoisting it upward. She tossed the unit into a building while it's yggdrasil drive was damaged and exploded.

Meanwhile, Anderson was killed by a tonfa that crushed him in the cockpit. Aya went after the next Gloucester and disarmed it in a quick attack and swiped the tonfa on the Gloucester's chest, killing the pilot and disabling the unit. The unit fell down onto its knees.

_'These guys aren't so tough.'_ Aya thought.

* * *

Akihiro fires off two cannon shots and hits a Gloucester.

"No! I can't die here! No!" Bradford said as his unit exploded.

"Is that all you got?!" Akihiro asked.

Ericsson got behind Akihiro and was about to get him. Naoto snapped his fingers and signaled some of the resistance members to fire rockets. Two rockets hit the Gloucester's knees, knocking it off balance and causing it to fall. Ericsson fell on his back as a rocket was shot into the chest, killing Ericsson.

* * *

Lelouch was quickly taking mental notes as the battle progressed. He was learning an excellent lesson on how to set up conditions the way he wanted and how both tactics and strategy are different from one another.

_'Naoto Kozuki... you were more than what I had expected of you. You understood how to set up things the way you want them to be, you plotted the course ahead and made sure everything was as you had planned it...'_ Lelouch thought, _'For helping me see Cornelia's trap, I'll see that this plan of yours is done thoroughly! I'll use your pride against you Cornelia! I'll have you right where I want you!'_

* * *

Aya and Kallen attacked Guilford relentlessly. He was having trouble trying to keep up with them. He never seen anyone pilot a Knightmare Frame like Marianne the Flash for over 8 years! This was the first time he was fighting someone who was better than him other than Cornelia. Even Darlton struggled to match up to the Goddess of Victory! He was losing to some Eleven!

Aya got behind the Gloucester and severed its left arm, leaving him with only his lance. Kallen thrusts her lance into the Gloucester's metal abdomen and charged into a building. The Gloucester was heavily damaged and Guilford pulls on the eject lever and escapes. His cockpit block flew away from his doomed Gloucester. Kallen watched as the Spear of the Empire flew away.

"Hmph! Can't even catch up with a girl." Kallen said.

* * *

Naoto finished off the last Gloucester. He stood tall with victory on his shoulders.

"Alright, now for the fourth phase." Naoto said, "Zero, if you would."

"Why certainly my Blue King." Zero said.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"By god..." Darlton said as Clovis' staff officers looked in disbelief.

"The Red Moon and the Yamato Alliance... they... they beaten the Royal Guard!" Clovis' first staff officer exclaimed.

"What will become of the Empire?"

"This can't be happening!"

_'Guilford...'_ Cornelia thought as she saw the ejection signal.

"Why hello, Cornelia." A familiar voice spoke.

"ZERO!" Cornelia roared as she got off her chair, "You bastard! Where are you?!"

"Where am I? Try checking the Sutherlands you gathered." Zero said.

Cornelia looked to the Sutherlands that had stayed in rank and file.

"All pilots, come out and reveal yourselves!" Cornelia ordered.

Just like that, the pilots opened their cockpit hatches and stood up. One by one, they revealed themselves. Zero had to be among them! One of them had to be Zero! They kept coming out, but not one of them was Zero! Zero had figured out Cornelia's trap! She stood paralyzed as she saw that her own plan had backfired on her!

"Cornelia. You insulted me by thinking I would fall for some trap like that." Zero said.

"How... how did you know?" Cornelia asked.

"I'm no fool Cornelia! I now know you did all of this to bring me out! But now things have changed!" Zero said, "Just have you had set the conditions up, I too have done the same!"

It was becoming clear! The Ghetto being empty! The Sutherland that was on its own! Everything! It was staged! It was staged to mock her!

"Zero... you dare to insult me?!" Cornelia said, "How dare you! How dare you!"

Darlton pieced everything together and looked to his Princess with worry.

"No your highness! He's only trying to provoke you!" Darlton exclaimed, "Please your highness! His goal wasn't the Royal Guard!"

"You call yourself the Goddess of Victory? Oh please, all those victories are hollow compared to what Kyoshiro Todoh did at Itsukushima! I bet I could beat you with my eyes blindfolded!" Zero taunted.

Cornelia was feeling more and more furious as her pride was smacked from hearing him say that. She believed in herself as well as her men as they believed in her. Yet he dares to say her victories were an empty shell compared to what some damn Eleven did 7 years ago! She had fought many opponents who thought so low of her and made them pay the price.

"You're nothing like Clovis alright, I'll give you that. But he begged for mercy before I shot him. He even had the gall to ask me to give him a swift death! A pathetic man like him was doomed to die a pathetic death for all the things he did!" Zero said, "You should have seen the look on his face when I shot his arms and legs! His was of true agony! He was covered in despair!"

Her anger was growing even more higher than before. Darlton looked even more and more worried.

"Your highness! Please! Calm down! It's a trap! If you go out there, he'll kill you! Please!" Darlton pleaded.

"I bet Euphemia would be utterly devastated from what you had tried to do to get me out in the open. I could even see her joining me out of disgust of your actions! I bet she wouldn't even call you sister anymore." Zero said.

Cornelia's anger exploded. She could no longer tolerated this any longer. She stormed towards the exit, only for Darlton to get in the way.

"Move aside, Andreas." Cornelia said.

"You don't understand! It's a trap! He's trying to bait you!" Darlton said, "Guilford wouldn't live with you dying right in front of him! Think about him! Think about the Glaston Knights, or even Princess—!"

"MOVE ASIDE ANDREAS! THAT IS AN ORDER!" Cornelia yelled at her knight.

"I refuse." Darlton said, choosing to stand his ground.

Without any notion of hesitation, she drew her rifle sword and shot Darlton in the abdomen, causing him to back away and collapse. She stormed out of the bridge while the staff officers went to Darlton.

"Quick! Call the medical corps! Sir Darlton is bleeding badly!" One of the staff officers said.

Cornelia's Gloucester was loaded on the catapult. Her landspinners were placed on the accelerators. The landspinners spun up and were accelerated, pushing the Gloucester out of the G-1 Base and onto the battlefield with great speed.

_'Damn you Zero! You think mere word play will keep me from killing you?!'_ Cornelia thought,_ 'My Royal Guard will be avenged, and so will Clovis!'_

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Rei quickly felt hostility from far away as he regrouped with Kallen and Naoto.

_'This hostility... where is it coming from?'_ Rei thought.

He turned to the direction where the hostility felt the strongest.

"What's wrong kid?" Naoto asked.

"There's... hostility coming that direction." Rei said.

"Hostility? Kid I don't see—"

"No wait, he's right! I got a Knightmare heading for us!" Ren said, "Koji!"

"Well color me surprised! The Goddess of Victory has stepped on the battlefield!"

Koji said, "And she looks angry!"

"Good." Naoto said with a grin.

"Huh?" Rei asked.

"Izumi!" Naoto called out.

"Right!" Izumi said, "Do it!"

* * *

His men detonated the bombs set in the buildings in front of the G-1. The buildings collapsed in front of the G-1 and crushed the Sutherlands gathered in front of it. Those that were lucky managed to get away while those who were unlucky were crushed.

* * *

**In the skies of Area 11**

"What's going on down there?" Euphemia asked.

"It's absolute chaos milady! Viceroy Cornelia stormed out to the battlefield and shot Lord Darlton while he was trying to stop her!" A staff officer said, "Most of the Royal Guard are dead and now the Elevens have her trapped!"

She gasped from hearing that, _'Sister!'_

"What do we do?! What do we do Sub-Viceroy?! We're like headless chickens here!" The staff officer panicked.

"I'll be there any minute now! Just send anyone who can back her up!" Euphemia said.

"What are you going to do?" The staff officer asked.

"I'm putting an end to this. The bloodshed ends here." Euphemia said.

"No Sub-Viceroy! Think about the people in Area 11! If we lose you, the consequences could be catastrophic!" The staff officer said.

"I must do what I can to help my countrymen and my sister! If I can't do that, then by what right do I have to be a Princess of Britannia?" Euphemia asked.

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

Cornelia rushed head forth into battle as she could no longer contain her anger. She saw the White Jack coming at her.

"So the White Jack comes out to play? Fine by me then!" Cornelia said to herself.

She jumped up as she brought her lance to bear. The White Jack quickly blocks the incoming attack. She was thrown to the left. She fired her slash harkens at a building and pushed her feet off it, heading to the building she tethered to with her harkens. The White Jack fires a shot toward that building. She quickly pulls the harkens out of the building and lands in the street.

"Stop it!" Rei said as he charged at Cornelia.

"Kid! That wasn't the plan!" Naoto said.

_'I know that, but—!'_

He thrust his lance at her. She blocked the attack. He switched the speakers on.

"Stop this pointless fighting already!" Rei said.

_'A child?!'_ Cornelia thought.

She repelled the white Gloucester and pulled back and fired her assault rifle at the Gloucester. The Gloucester quickly moved and dodged the incoming bullets.

"This battle isn't necessary!" Rei said, "Please, just stop this fighting already!"

_'There's no way a child could be piloting that thing!'_ Cornelia thought.

"There's been enough blood spilled here!" Rei said as he charged at her.

She blocks the attack and clashed with him.

"And why should I listen to a child?!" Cornelia asked, "You know nothing!"

"There's already been enough blood spilled here! Why continue this senseless battle?!" Rei asked, "All you're doing is inflicting suffering on innocent people! Don't you think this is enough?!"

"Me? Inflict suffering?! You insult me, boy!" Cornelia said.

The two backed away from each other. They clashed once again.

"Your kind has inflicted suffering onto Britannians! What right do you have to tell me that I've inflicted suffering onto your kind?!" Cornelia questioned, "You are a mere child who simply just can't accept the status quo! A child with mere delusions of the past!"

She forced the boy back.

"Accept it already! Your kind has already lost a war that ended 7 years ago! Your kind are nothing but Numbers! You are beneath Britannia! You are nothing more but dogs!" Cornelia howled as she thrusts her lance.

"Never!" Rei said as he blocked the lance and kicked Cornelia back.

Cornelia's Gloucester hits a building. Rei backs away from her. She goes into hot pursuit. Rei turned the speakers off. His communicator crackled to life.

"That's it kid, lure her in! We'll have her boxed in and catch her!" Naoto said.

"R-right..." Rei said, _'Suzaku-san must have joined the military to put an end to all the fighting. Even if he is the wrong side... he wanted to put an end to war... isn't that why I'm here? To put a stop to all of this?'_

"Where do you think you're going?!" Cornelia asked as she gave chase.

He fired a few cannon shots at her. She dodged the incoming shots. He kept going until he got to a spot where members of the resistance had set up a trap.

"Do it!" Naoto said.

Rockets were fired at Cornelia. Two rockets got her knee joints and two others blasted her arms right off. Cornelia fell over. The resistance members quickly surrounded her. Lelouch moved his Sutherland out of the shadows.

"It's checkmate Cornelia, I win." Lelouch said with the speakers on.

"Z-Zero!" Cornelia said, "You coward! You dare not to face me on equal ground?!"

"You're in a Gloucester, I'm in a Sutherland, there's nothing equal there." Lelouch said, "Now why don't you come out quietly. I'm sure we can negotiate here."

"I don't negotiate with scum like you!" Cornelia said.

"Stop it. You've lost. Just accept it already." Rei said with the speakers, "This pointless battle is over."

"Forget it kid, she won't listen to reason." Naoto said, "She's too angry to put up with you now."

"But—!"

"Don't worry, I have no intention on killing her now. It's ok." Zero said, "You did great along with everyone else."

"I know... but..." Rei said.

"Don't beat yourself up about it kid. That's just how war is." Naoto said.

"I... I guess so..." Rei said.

He looked to Cornelia's Gloucester. He felt the harsh hostility that radiated from her. Lelouch was beginning to feel the same thing.

_'Why? Why is she so hostile to the Japanese? Does she really think that way or does she hold a grudge against us?'_ Rei thought, _'Am I doing this right Suzaku-san? Am I really doing this right?'_

"Well, I'm waiting." Zero said.

Cornelia felt humiliated. She let herself fall into this trap. There was nothing she could do. She was only left two options, resist and die, or be captured and live.

_'So this is what Darlton warned me of... how foolish of me...'_ Cornelia thought, _'And I even shot him myself...'_

Guilford could only look in utter defeat as he saw her Princess in a situation that was impossible for her to escape.

"Princess..." Guilford said as his hand clenched, "Please... anyone... somebody save her..."

"Your wish is granted." A voice said in his earpiece.

'What?!' Guilford thought.

"Hold on a minute... I'm getting noise." Ren said, "I... recognize it... it's coming coming underground though..."

He listened on the sound. It sounded like—!

"White Jack! To your left!" Ren called out.

Rei turned to his left and saw the ground burst forth. 8 slash harkens were fired into different directions. The group scattered and fired. Rei looked at one of the harkens to see two swords stuck together on a harken cable.

_'That harken—! Is it him?!'_ Rei thought.

Two green blade shaped lights lit up as a Knightmare broke through the smoke and stabbed a Sutherland.

"Aoyama!" Izumi cries out as the Knightmare jumped back away.

The Sutherland fell down on its knees. The Knightmare landed on a building.

"Sorry to pop in unannounced." A familar voice said with the speakers on.

_'That voice—!'_

Cornelia looked in surprise and shock, _'That's the one!'_

The Knightmare stood up and as everyone looked, it revealed to be—!

"The prototype Knightmare Frame based on the Lancelot!" Cornelia said, "Lancelot Grail! And the pilot is—!"

"Durandal!" Rei exclaimed with the speakers on.

Durandal looked to the white Gloucester.

"You and I have unfinished business!" Rei said, "We're settling it right here, right now!"

Cornelia looked in surprise, "He knows of Durandal?"

"If it's him, the Princess is safe." Guilford said, "Oh thank god."

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"Durandal is here?!"

"Thank god!"

"She's saved!"

"Alright!"

The staff officers rejoiced Durandal's appearance on the bridge. In the field hospital, Andreas Darlton heard of Durandal's appearance.

"He's there?" Darlton asked.

"Yes my lord! With the Grail!" One of the paramedics said.

"Thank god." Darlton said.

* * *

**Saitama Ghetto**

_'Prototype based on the Lancelot?! It's bad enough that sir Lancelot exists, but a prototype based on it?! Come on! Can't we catch a break with the advanced weapons and prototypes Britannia builds?!'_ Naoto thought, _'And of course Durandal is the pilot! As if things weren't already bad enough as it is!'_

_'A red Lancelot?'_ Kallen thought.

_'Durandal... so you were hiding back stage, weren't you?!'_ Lelouch thought.

"Oh... little rabbit, you're here. That's good." Durandal said, "Now we can settle our grudge through an old fashioned duel."

Rei was caught off guard by the last few words he heard.

"A... duel?" Rei asked.

"Yes. If you beat me, the Viceroy is yours, but if I win... well, I guess I'll be taking her back to the Viceroy's Palace." Durandal said, "The rules are simple. Anything goes. The first to be deemed incapable of combat is the loser."

"So if we win..."

"I don't know..."

Durandal looked smug in the cockpit, "So? Do I have an answer?"


	13. Chapter 12: White and Red Dance

**Chapter 12: White and Red Dance**

"Durandal!" Rei exclaimed with the speakers on.

Durandal looked to the white Gloucester.

"You and I have unfinished business!" Rei said, "We're settling it right here, right now!"

Durandal looked cheerful to see Rei.

"Oh... little rabbit, you're here. That's good." Durandal said, "Now we can settle our grudge through an old fashioned duel."

Rei was caught off guard by the last few words he heard.

"A... duel?" Rei asked.

"Yes. If you beat me, the Viceroy is yours, but if I win... well, I guess I'll be taking her back to the Viceroy's Palace." Durandal said, "The rules are simple. Anything goes. The first to be deemed incapable of combat is the loser."

"So if we win..."

"I don't know..."

Durandal looked smug in the cockpit, "So? Do I have an answer?"

Rei thought about it.

"Rei, let me take him on." Kallen said, "I can beat him!"

"No! I've fought him once before! You wouldn't be able to keep up with him!" Rei said.

"But still—!"

"Kallen, it's his choice. Not ours." Naoto said.

"But Naoto—! This is the Red Comet! What if he—!"

"He's right Q-1."

"Z-Zero?"

"This is his choice." Zero said, _'Besides, it's not like anyone else has a choice. He'd cut us all down if he refused.'_

Rei thought about it. He looked to Durandal.

"Fine then." Rei said, "But I'll accept on one condition."

"Oh? And what may that be?" Durandal asked.

"You take all of your forces and leave the Ghetto." Rei said.

"What?!" Cornelia said in her cockpit, "Captain! Do not—!"

"Fine then." Durandal said.

"What?!" Cornelia asked, "How dare you challenge one of them to an honorable duel and even accept that condition—!"

"Princess," Durandal said, "I'm afraid there is nothing we can do in that regard. Your sister will be arriving here shortly."

_'E-Euphie?'_ Cornelia thought, _'But why would she—?'_

"Follow me then, little rabbit." Durandal said.

Durandal got down from the building and drove off. Rei was going to follow until Kallen padded his shoulder.

"Come back alive." Kallen said.

Rei smiled, "I will, Oneechan."

Rei followed Durandal to an isolated location. A bombed out building that's big enough for them to fit their Knightmares inside.

"This is where the duel shall take place." Durandal said, "She's still holding after all these years. You elevens sure know how to build something that can take a pounding."

_'It lasted for 7 years?'_ Rei thought, "The war, what was it like?"

"Hm? You want to know?" Durandal asked, "For what reason?"

"Well... Its because of my memories. I... I never knew much of the war or remembered anything about it." Rei said.

"Hmm... I guess I could divulge some information for you if it answers your questions." Durandal said, "7 years ago, Japan and Britannia were at odds with another in terms of economic relations."

"Economic relations?" Rei asked.

"The Japanese Government under Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi put a halt to trading sakuradite to Britannia. That was only just one cause when you think about it." Durandal said.

"So you forcefully invaded a country for some stupid rock?" Rei asked.

"Sakuradite is not a stupid rock. It is the Philosophers' Stone." Durandal corrected, "It could generate enough energy that it could provide communities and vehicles with tremendous if not limitless amounts of energy."

"But why Japan? Why invade Japan for it?" Rei asked.

"Because 70% of the world's supply is right below us." Durandal said, "More specifically, its in the mines of Mt Fuji."

"70 percent?" Rei asked, "There's that much of it here?"

"Yes." Durandal said, "If you can control most of the sakuradite in the world, you are destined to rule the world."

"Even so, there could have been another way. You could have done it peacefully." Rei said.

"And now you're starting to sound like Kururugi." Durandal said, "All that 'change from within' nonsense, ugh. The idiot doesn't. Even realize what it really takes to move up in the world."

"You mean you have to betray others and use them as tools." Rei said.

"Ah! So you **were** watching that speech." Durandal said.

"That wasn't a speech, that was propaganda." Rei said.

"Oh... Tell me more." Durandal said.

"What kind of father doesn't shed a tear for the death of one of his own children? His son died and he didn't even care!" Rei said, "He only mentioned his son only once! He used his death to spread nothing but lies!"

"Ohohoho. You're right, it **did** sound like propaganda." Durandal said, "But in the end, people just buy into it."

"Buy into it?" Rei asked.

"Yes, they just accept it as though it were normal." Durandal said, "Britannia only cares about survival of the fittest. Those who are weak are nothing but lambs to the slaughter while the strong gorge on their bones and flesh and drink their blood."

_'So that's why...'_ Rei thought about what happened in Shinjuku.

"I know, its a cruel world we live in." Durandal said, "Even a man such as myself has standards."

"So you're not a complete scoundrel." Rei said.

"Yes, that is true." Durandal said, "Now where were we? Oh yes... I believe I was going to tell you about how quickly Britannia swiftly conquered Area 11."

"Let me guess, Knightmares?" Rei asked.

"Exactly." Durandal said, "The Knightmare Frame was great as mobile weapon. It changed everything we thought about war. Tanks could barely keep up with the Knightmare Frame. With speed, mobility and firepower, they changed the face of warfare forever."

"So they were just very fast." Rei said.

"Yes, in a sense." Durandal said, "Of course other nations like the EU and the Chinese have made their own Knightmare Frames, but they were built for long range combat, cowards I say."

"And then what happened next?" Rei asked.

"The Prime Minister... apparently killed himself, forcing a hugely unconditional surrender of Japan, thus it was named Area 11." Durandal said.

"What?" Rei asked.

"I know, even I don't and still refuse to believe it. After all, their military still had strength, and that surrender led to the rise of the Japan Liberation Front." Durandal said, "If you ask me, it was assassination."

"An assassin?!" Rei asked, "So you killed their leader?!"

"First of all, there hasn't been a Britannian sanctioned assassination since 1992. Second of all, we don't know if an assassin was the one that killed the Prime Minister." Durandal said, "I just believe that someone murdered him."

_'So he says it could've been an assassin. But if it was a suicide, wouldn't the Prime Minister have left some sort of note?'_ Rei thought.

"Now that I answered your questions, answer mine." Durandal said, "Why did you want to know?"

"I... I want to know about my father and mother!" Rei said.

"Oh... your parents... I see." Durandal said, "Well, I guess I'm still in the mood."

"Really?" Rei asked.

"Yes." Durandal said, "Your father was Neilson Augus. He was a researcher and a nobleman who was from a lineage of knights. He decided to take a different path in life. From there, he met your mother, Sayuri Kizuna. 9 months later, you were born."

"Born an Overman you mean." Rei said.

"Yes, as it turns out, your father was researching the human brain when your mother volunteered as a subject. As it turns out, her brainwaves were much more elevated than with a human, but stayed in normal levels. a strange phenomenon indeed." Durandal said, "Your mother was raised by a pack of wolves until her human parents found her and got her back to civilization. By then, she understood animals as though it were second nature. Coincidence? I'm afraid not."

"So my mother was technically the first Overman." Rei said.

"No, more like a proto-Overman." Durandal said, "It seemed that it was something she learned in the wild. There were instances where your father stated in his journal that she had dreams of a lone boy bearing a mask. But aside from that, she's not an entirely awaken Overman."

"So what did the military want from my father?" Rei asked.

Durandal chuckled, "I think I explained why in Shinjuku. You insult our first meeting."

"A weapon."

"That's it."

"So why kill my father and mother?!" Rei asked.

"I wasn't there. I was at Itsukushima at the time. It was only until 7 years after the war that I heard from Clovis that I knew why a SIS team was sent after him." Durandal said, "Apparently, your father was going to leave to the Chinese Federation with you and your mother by using his research as a bargaining chip."

"In other words, he was going to defect." Rei said.

"Yes, they were ordered to take you alive by the Emperor's orders. Everyone else was expendable. Your father was killed when he was better needed alive. Your mother killed one of the agents and scarred one of them before she died." Durandal said, "After that, some mysterious group attacked them and grabbed you. Then you just vanished into thin air, only to resurface here and now."

"So that's it then. They're both dead." Rei said, _'And all I have left of them are my memories.'_

"Don't feel too bad about it. The past is better left behind. You don't want it to trouble you more than the present is." Durandal said, "It looks like we're here now."

They stopped by at the building where their duel was to take place.

"We shall enter this building from two sides." Durandal said, "You'll enter it on your side and I'll enter on my side. When I give the signal, we move in and start the duel from there. Understand?"

"Yes." Rei said.

* * *

Durandal began to wheel over to the opposite side of the building. He switched the Blaze Luminous energy off. The blades that were once coated with the energy broke into pieces before crumbling to dust. The pommels were all that was left. Durandal jettisoned the pommels. The sword blazer was a combination of the Schrötter Steel sword and the Blaze Luminous system. When the swords are inserted into the device, the generators left of blaze energy that clad the swords due to having the unique properties that allow such an event to occur. However, there was a problem with it. The swords break up and quickly turn to dust after one use as a sword blazer. The steel was still experimental, so it was expected. That meant that Durandal cannot use it repeatedly.

He quickly pulls two swords out of his sword rack. He reached the opposite side of the building. He smiled.

_'Now then, let's see if you've improved or not.'_ Durandal thought, _'I'm not holding back this time.'_

* * *

He quickly had a signal flare go off.

Rei saw a signal flare.

_'It's begun.'_ Rei thought.

He fired two slash harkens onto the building and bursted his way inside. He climbed at least 5 stories up. He activated his factsphere and began moving through the building. He thought about the conditions of the duel that he had accepted. With everything he had gathered for now, he was at a disadvantage. Durandal was using a Knightmare based on the Lancelot, that meant that it was superior to the Gloucester as well. There was the concern of his energy filler as well. He had spent 5 minutes fighting a part of the Royal Guard and probably a minute with Cornelia. He looked to his gauge and it read that he had only 40 minutes left. Durandal must have a higher time limit. Then there was Durandal's speed. It was faster than the Lancelot, much faster. Last but not least was that he had no idea where Durandal is.

While those were true, he did have a few advantages. For one thing, he had a cannon on his arm and a assault rifle that he had tucked away on the back just in case he needed to use it. If he could land a few direct hits, that should end the duel quickly. Next would have to be the building he was in. It was big enough to fit a Knightmare Frame inside, so it leaves an opportunity to set up an ambush. Last but not least is that Durandal doesn't know where he is. Durandal must have assumed that Rei wouldn't be at the 5th floor, so naturally, he'd use that to get the jump on him.

Rei quickly found a spot to ambush Durandal and went over to it using the slash harkens. He got onto the ceiling and hid in a corner, patiently waiting for Durandal to waltz in.

* * *

Durandal had his factspheres out from the Grail's chest compartment. He was on the 5th floor. Durandal assumed that Rei would go to the 5th floor because he knew that the little rabbit wouldn't be that predictable. He had to assume that Rei was setting an ambush for him right now at this very second. Durandal retracted the factspheres, stopped, and looked around. He knew the rabbit was waiting for him somewhere on the 5th floor. He smiled.

_'You're waiting for me, aren't you?'_ Durandal thought, _'In that case...'_

* * *

Rei was getting a warning on his cockpit. Movement. It was Durandal. He was coming. He brought the cannon out to bear and aimed it carefully.

_'He's coming!'_ Rei thought.

He kept his hands on the sticks with his finger over the button. Sweat was coming down from his head as he stayed focus. The motion sensor was beeping faster. The enemy was getting closer. He gritted his teeth. His heart was racing. The suspense was like a noose around his neck. The undying terror in his suspense were like hands wrapped around his throat.

_'Come on... come on...'_ Rei thought, _'Show up already!'_

The motion sensor was beeping at its fastest. Rei looked but saw no one in the room. Just a deafening silence.

_'Is he below me?'_ Rei thought.

Suddenly, he felt a horrible chill up his spine. It was as if someone was jabbing an ice pick through his back. His eyes widened from feeling the horrid feeling. On instinct, he quickly dropped from the ceiling and then...

**BOOM!**

A pair of slash harkens came down upon him. He dodged the incoming harkens. The ceiling was then busted down as the red Lancelot came down from the ceiling. Rei panicked and shot his cannon in a frenzy.

"Predictable!" Durandal said over the speakers.

The Grail moved with lightning speed. It was as if it vanished and reappeared at one point to the next. The Grail got up close to the Gloucester and kicked it to the side. Rei was thrown from the side.

_'How did he know I was planning a sneak attack?!'_ Rei thought.

_'I knew you'd try that. I guess I was right to head up a floor.'_ Durandal thought, _'I went up to the 5th floor as well but then went up the 6th floor to see if I was right on my earlier assumption that you'd try to ambush me.'_

"Even so—!" Rei said.

He charged at the Grail. The Grail quickly disappeared from his view.

_'Gone?!'_ Rei thought, _'No!'_

He felt danger coming from behind him again. He quickly turned around and thrust his lance at the Grail.

_'What?!'_ Durandal thought, _'But how—?!'_

_'There you are!'_ Rei thought.

The Grail blocked the attack with its swords.

"Now I have you!" Rei said as he aimed the cannon.

"Naive!" Durandal called out.

He jumped over the Gloucester and jumped off its back. Durandal broke into the 6th floor. Rei was in pursuit. As soon as Rei entered, he felt danger once again. It was to his left. He quickly used the slash harkens that had hit the ceiling to pull him up and evade the attack.

"The ceiling eh?!" Durandal said as he fired the sword harkens in his back and the slash harkens on his hips.

_'I can see it!'_ Rei thought.

He bounced off the ceiling and retracted the harkens and threw his lance at the Grail. The Grail pulled itself off the ground using the harkens on the ceiling and dodged the lance. The Grail slammed into the Gloucester and the two went up to the 7th floor. Rei quickly landed on his feet and pulled the rifle out and started shooting at Durandal. The Grail dodged the incoming bullets with its speed and agility.

_'It's faster than I thought!'_ Rei thought, _'I have to win! No matter what!'_

He pointed his cannon at the floor he stood on and blasted it. He fell down to the 6th floor. He fired a slash harken to grab the lance and put the rifle away. He grabbed the lance and stowed the cannon. He used his lance to bust down to the 5th and 4th floor. He quickly escaped to the other end of the building and made his way up the floors until he reached the 8th floor and hid himself in a dark corner.

* * *

Durandal had the factspheres out and looked everywhere for the Gloucester.

_'Where... where did he go?'_ Durandal thought, _'He must have ran off to the other end of the building! That must be it!'_

He quickly headed off toward the other end of the building to find the Gloucester.

* * *

**Outside the Building**

Naoto switched the factsphere off. Kallen came up to him.

"How's Rei?" Kallen asked.

"He's fine. Just spooked." Naoto said, "Durandal got the drop on him, but he's ok."

Kallen breathes a sigh of relief, "Oh thank god..."

Akihiro, Aya, Koji, Ren, and Kai looked at the building.

"He's fighting the Red Comet in there?" Akihiro asked.

"Yeah. It seems like the perfect place to fight in. It's still holding and neither side knows where the other went off to." Koji said, "Still, to think that the Red Moon had someone like that... it's crazy."

"You got that right." Aya said.

"Still, why would he pick a fight with Durandal the Red Comet?" Kai asked, "He slaughtered five enemy units all by himself, he can't possibly win with the odds against him. The guy's a genius too!"

"They have fought in Shinjuku." Ren said, "This is a grudge match. We are to not interfere."

* * *

Princess Euphemia dropped down in her Gloucester and shook in the cockpit. Her body had shivers from dropping down.

_'That was a quite a shock!'_ Euphemia thought to herself, _'How does anyone get over that?'_

She began to head over to where her sister's IFF signal was. She made it to see Sutherlands looking up at a tall building.

"Sister? Where are you?" Euphemia whispered in her earpiece.

"I'm right here Euphie." Cornelia said inside a dangling cockpit block, "Just look to your right."

Euphemia turned to see the cockpit dangling. She gasped in surprise.

"Sister! What happened?!" Euphemia asked.

"Well, I got baited into a trap. My Royal Guard is practically dead, save the ones that stayed by the G-1 and now there's a duel where my life is hanging by a thread." Cornelia said, "Funny, isn't it?"

"Sister..." Euphemia said, "The civilians... are they—"

"They're probably gone by now, so you can forget about them. The Yamato Alliance snuck them out apparently." Cornelia said.

"Oh thank goodness... I didn't want a repeat is Shinjuku all over again." Euphemia said.

"I know Euphie. I know." Cornelia said, "I feel ashamed of myself."

"Ashamed?" Euphemia asked.

"I'm supposed to be the Goddess of Victory whose radiant appearance brings victory to those who wish to grasp it with wings of white. Now I've lost those wings and attracted a dark pestilence to my light." Cornelia said, "Victory for Britannia now hangs by a thread."

"Sister... don't say that about yourself. You've always managed to come out on top, regardless of the odds." Euphemia said.

Cornelia felt energized from her sister's words, "Thank you."

"So who's fighting?" Euphemia asked.

"Durandal and the White Jack. They seem to share a history together." Cornelia said, "But I wonder why... do you have some light to shed on that?"

"I wish sister, I wish." Euphemia said.

"So even you have no idea..." Cornelia sighed, "Guess that's another mystery for another cup of tea."

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

"You can read people's hearts?" Rai asked.

"That's right. I can read the hearts of many individuals." Lalah said.

"That's... surprising." Suzaku said, "I guess you and Nunnally are special."

"Almost like psychics." Rai said.

"I-In a sense, yes." Lalah said as she had a slight blush.

"Then could you look into Lulu's heart to see if he has feelings for me?!" Shirley asked out of the blue.

Everyone looked at Shirley. Her face turned red.

"Again, you could have just let us call him." Suzaku said.

"NOOOO!" Shirley exclaimed before she quickly punched Suzaku in the face.

He fell down in one hit and was barely conscious. Rai rushes over to him and shook him to see if he was fine while Shirley ducked under the table. Lalah looked confused.

_'This sure is one noisy, crazy, bizarre school that I've gone to.'_ Lalah thought to herself, _'I hope the Captain is faring better than I am.'_

* * *

**Inside the Building, Saitama Ghetto**

Durandal kept looking on the 8th floor. He kept the factspheres out as he kept looking.

_'Where could he have gone?'_ Durandal thought.

The sensors quickly picked up something. It looked to be a lance. The Grail puts of its swords back on the rack.

"A lance?" Durandal asked, "But why would he leave that there?"

He approached the lance and grabbed it. He was about to pull it, but suddenly saw a chaos mine next to it. He saw a wire going to it. It was tied around the end of the lance.

_'So the slightest movement might set it off...'_ Durandal thought.

He couldn't let go. The lance would shake and might cause the wire to be tripped and activate the chaos mine. He chuckled. He turns the speakers on.

"You're improving as I thought you would be." Durandal said, "Not only did you make this well thought out trap, you even knew that I wouldn't resist the temptation to grab it."

No response. He had to be hidden.

"Not only that, your reflexes are catching up with my movements." Durandal said, "There hasn't been a single person to catch up with me. Yet, here you are."

No response. Durandal smirked.

_'I know what I can do. In this situation, if I can take the lance out when he attacks me, I'll kill him with his own trap.'_ Durandal thought.

He heard the sound of wheels spinning. He pulled the lance from the ground. The wire was tripped and the chaos mine spewed shrapnel in the direction in which it was facing. The shrapnel went on and on until the mine stopped. Durandal activates the factspheres. He changes to different visual modes. Suddenly, he saw what apparently looked like—! but it couldn't-!

_'An arm?!'_ Durandal thought.

The arm of the white Gloucester looked to be a wreck. Durandal was in shock.

"He... cut his arm off? But why?" Durandal asked himself, "No! It was bait!"

Suddenly, a cannon shot knocked the lance out of Durandal's hands. He quickly pulled out his swords from the rack. The one armed Gloucester rushed at Durandal and tossed the cannon away. It pulled out the rifle and shot the cannon. It exploded, temporarily blinding Durandal. The Gloucester stowed its gun away and slammed into Durandal while grabbing the lance. He looked rather intense.

"You clever street rat!" Durandal said.

Rei roared as he pushed the Grail back. The Grail pushed itself away from the Gloucester and inserted the swords into the wrist units. Durandal switched the Blaze Luminous on and coated the swords in a green light.

_'You are clever! Clever indeed!'_ Durandal thought.

It was a well thought out plan. Rei had torn the arm off the Gloucester and left it as bait while he used the lance, chaos mine, and wire to set the trap. It was ingenious, yet foolhardy on Rei's part. Durandal had certainly underestimated the boy's talents in strategy and tactics.

"You've earned my respect little rabbit. You forced my hand into using the Sword Blazer once again." Durandal said, "But that is the mistake in your plan!"

The Grail rushes towards the Gloucester at breakneck speed.

_'Here he comes!'_ Rei thought, _'Will he go left or right?'_

He had to mentally project where Durandal was going in order for his plan to work. He focused on Durandal. He quickly saw the sword harkens on the Grail's left side move.

_'There!'_

_'Fool!'_

Durandal fires a sword harken on the right side and swung left. Rei moves to the left. He quickly drifts off to the right. Durandal fires a slash harken, taking down the Gloucester's head. Rei thrusts the lance at Durandal, who blocks it with a Sword Blazer. Durandal quickly cuts the Gloucester's lance and stabs the Gloucester in the chest, grazing Rei's neck. Durandal quickly throws the Gloucester out. The Gloucester falls down and fires it's slash harkens. The harkens land on the building. The Gloucester soon dangled in midair before the harkens were pulled out from the building, causing the unit to fall on its back.

* * *

Everyone looked shocked to see the Gloucester in such a state.

"Kid!" Naoto exclaimed.

"Rei!" Kallen exclaimed.

"Crap! He's not dead? Right?!" Akihiro asked.

"And I was just getting to know him." Koji said sadly.

"Damn..." Aya said.

"Is he alive?" Kai asked.

"Are you kidding? With damage like that? I wouldn't be surprised if he's still alive." Ren said.

Durandal quickly came down with the sword harkens helping him descend. He got down to the floor. Rei closed his eyes and slams one of his hands on the monitors.

"Damnit..." Rei said to himself, "I'm sorry everyone. I failed..."

Durandal stood tall and deactivated the Blaze Luminous. The sword shattered to pieces. The pieces were reduced to dust. Durandal jettisoned the swords.

"You fought well, little rabbit. A deal is a deal." Durandal said, "As the victor, I will be taking the Viceroy back home now. This battle is over."

The Grail picked up Cornelia's cockpit block and left with Princess Euphemia. Rei got out of the cockpit and looked in utter anger. He closed his eyes and slammed his fist on the cockpit.

_'How? I planned it all out. It should have worked!'_ Rei thought, _'Was I not strong enough? Was I weak?'_

He opened his eyes and watched as Durandal left.

_'One day... I will defeat you Durandal... that I swear!'_ Rei thought, _'As long as you live, you're a danger to everyone! I'll get stronger! I'll get stronger and stronger until I can defeat you, Durandal!'_

Durandal looked back, _'I hope we meet again, only on better terms. Goodbye little rabbit. Until we meet again.'_

In the end, the battle was a draw. It technically was a tactical victory for the two resistance groups, but in the end, Cornelia escaped, giving the Britannians a victory of their own. The battle was over and Saitama was soon silent once again. The Red Moon and the Yamato Alliance were allied together.

* * *

**Underground Base**

The Yamato Alliance and the Red Moon we're celebrating their victory. The overall objective, being the survival of the Yamato Alliance was achieved while the defeat of Cornelia's royal guard was something to celebrate as well. Most of the two resistance groups were drinking like there was no tomorrow. All Rei got was a juice box. All because they said that he wasn't old enough for whatever the hell they were drinking. He thought back on everything that lead to this moment. He was beginning to question whether or not he was truly doing the right thing by his dead parents.

_'Mom, dad... am I doing the right thing? I don't know anymore. I'm lost. I don't know what to do. I couldn't defeat Durandal, I allowed Cornelia to escape, and now, I've lost a Knightmare once again.'_ Rei thought, _'Suzaku-san wanted to stop the fighting. That's what he wanted, so I guess that's why he chose the military and Lancelot. I wanted to put all the fighting to an end by helping Naoto-san, Kallen Oneechan, and Zero free Japan and defeat Britannia. But even so, I...'_

"You." A voice said.

"Eh?" Rei said as his trance was broken.

He looked to see Aya looking at him.

"You look down, is something wrong?" Aya asked.

"N-nothing's wrong." Rei said as he looked away.

Aya sighed, "Come on outside. I want to talk to you."

"E-Eh?" Rei asked.

The two went outside.

"I could tell that you seem down, almost like something is troubling you." Aya said, "Is it because of what happened today or was it something else?"

Rei thought of some answers, but she didn't look like someone who would take those answers. He sighed.

"Am I... really doing the right thing?" Rei asked.

Aya didn't answer. She looked at him with strong eyes.

"Doing the right thing?" Aya asked, "I think you already done plenty of that."

"That's what I keep thinking, but I've failed again and again." Rei said, "I failed at defeating Durandal twice and I couldn't even get Cornelia."

"Oh?" Aya asked, "And next you're going to be telling me you're a burden."

"That's exactly it. I feel like a burden." Rei said.

"Whoa! I didn't mean that literally!" Aya said.

"No, its true, whether you meant it or not." Rei said.

Aya looked fed up with Rei talking like that. She clapped his cheeks. Rei flinched.

"Look, you did your best. Not everyone gets things done right the first time. It happens every time. That doesn't mean you should be questioning yourself." Aya said, "You may have made a mistake here and there, but that's ok. As long as you learn from it and improve from it. That's all that matters."

Rei was mesmerized by her words.

"You just keep trying, even when things go bad. That's how we Japanese lived this long. We have hope. As long as there is hope, there's a way, and when we find a way, we find a future." Aya said, "That's what my father told me when I was down. So no matter what, don't give up. Besides, we all got something worth fighting for, don't you?"

She lets him go and heads back inside. She got near the door but turned to him.

"By the way, the name is Ayano Miyuki. But Aya will do." Aya said.

"R-Rei! Rei Yuki!" Rei said with a smile.

"Well Rei, I guess we're friends now." Aya said before she went inside.

The fire of Rei's spirit was rekindled. He now felt his sense of purpose growing again. He felt a bond between him and Aya growing, just like with Nunnally, Lalah, Suzaku, Euphie, and Zero.

* * *

**Underground Tunnels**

Lelouch was walking in the underground tunnels, heading for Ashford Academy.

'It seems I'll have to put the search for my mother's killer to the side for now and focus on other priorities.' Lelouch thought, 'If I'm going to best Britannia, I need an army, a nation, a people to stand against even their mightiest forces. The Red Moon and the Yamato Alliance have already brought me the means of doing it.'

Yes, he had begun to realize that now he had gone against Britannia once again, he must change his way of thinking. He must put his personal vengeance aside until an opportunity to go after it comes up. Right now, he had to focus on building an army to match Britannia and surpass it in different ways. The means of having that army have already come knocking on his door step. All he needed now was a base, support from Kyoto, the support from the Japanese, and the aid of other resistance groups to increase the size of his army, especially the JLF. The JLF has all the weapons he needed while Kyōto had the means to mass-produce them. It was also imperative that he recruit some agents and contacts from Britannia's other adversaries. Pitting them against Britannia would prove an excellent ordeal with the Empire that had 1/3 of the world in its hands.

As for his successor, he will have to make the boy his apprentice and have him be taught by members of his army and himself. Once the boy has learned well enough, he shall be ready to take up his mantle as Zero, leaving him with a contingency in case something happened to Lelouch. He didn't want to heap pressure the boy, but it was paramount that he'd have someone continue his work and protect Nunnally, but only as long as he doesn't abuse that responsibility.

He had his priorities set and all the necessary steps he needed to take to make everything come to fruition.

"Well, I guess you failed to bag Cornelia." A familiar voice said.

He smiled as he saw CC come out from the shadows.

"No, you're wrong." Lelouch said, "My overall objective has been completed."

"Overall objective?" CC asked, "Wait, you don't mean—"

"The Yamato Alliance and the Red Moon make excellent soldiers for my new army." Lelouch said, "Once I have a base and some money and weapons, all I have to do is get support from Kyoto, the public, the Japanese, and mix the resistance groups in Area 11 into my army as well have foreign agents to rely on. That way, Britannia will fall."

"And the boy?" CC asked.

"I'll let you take care of him. Once I've made him my apprentice, then all that's left is to teach him everything he needs to know and prep him to be my successor." Lelouch said, "That way, in case something happens to me, he'll be my contingency plan."

"And you're certain that he'll do it right?" CC asked.

"Why yes, yes I am." Lelouch said.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"May this be a lesson for you, you're highness. Zero is no ordinary man. He will not be so easily fooled by anyone, not even a pretty flower such as yourself." Durandal said, "I also wouldn't let pride get in your way either."

Cornelia bit her lip hearing that. She repressed her anger.

"I'll take that advice to heart." Cornelia said.

"Good," Durandal said before looking to Euphemia, "As for you, Princess Euphemia. You are the Sub-Viceroy. If anything bad were to happen to Cornelia, it is your job to assure the people's safety. That is your primary goal."

"Yes Captain." Euphemia said.

"Good." Durandal said, "Anyway, Nonette Enneagram will be arriving shortly with the Somersets and the Sutherland Ikaros."

"Huh?" Cornelia asked, "Somersets? Ikaros?"

"Nonette is coming here?!" Euphemia asked.

"Yes, she is. As for the Somersets and Ikaros..." Durandal said, "Imagine the Somersets being the Glasgows of the Air Force like the Portman was to the Navy."

"What?! You mean the homeland has sent flying Knightmares to Area 11?! Since when was that?! Why didn't we just have that earlier?!" Cornelia questioned Durandal.

"Oh... it was kept secret until their public debut was made." Durandal said.

"And when is that?" Cornelia asked.

Durandal smiled, "You'll see."


	14. Chapter 13: Peaceful Days 2

**Chapter 13: Peaceful Days 2**

**Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement**

Nonette Enneagram was quite pleased to Cornelia once again after the long trip to Area 11. The moment she saw her, she couldn't help but hug Cornelia. Cornelia on the other hand...

"Please... Stop Nonette. Not in front of everyone..." Cornelia said with a mopey tone.

"Oh but Nelly, we've been apart for so long..." Nonette said, "It's so good to finally see you again!"

"Please... stop it... stop it now." Cornelia said.

"Ahem, ladies. If you're done cuddling, we have bigger fish to fry." Darlton said.

"Eh?" Nonette asked.

"You said you were bringing in new Knightmare Frames from the homeland, correct?" Darlton asked, "Where are they?"

"Oh! Of course! I forgot to mention those!" Nonette said, "They've been loafed off the docks. See for yourselves while I go look for Euphie and that uh... Special Envoy Corps."

"If it'll get you to stop hugging me, that's fine." Cornelia said.

"Gee Nelly, you sound negative. Mind telling me what happened before I got here?" Nonette asked in a worried tone, "Wait a minute... it's Zero isn't it? He must have made you look like a fool! I know I've done it to you once when we were in the academy but—"

"We lost most of the Royal Guard." Guilford said.

"GILLS! What the hell man!" Darlton said, "Did we NOT agree on bringing that up to anyone?!"

"But if she doesn't know, than how is she going to help her highness cope with all of this?" Guilford asked.

"The Royal Guard, Eh?" Nonette asked, "Was he that skilled?"

"No. It was a trap." Guilford said, "And I unsuspectingly led them right to it."

"It's not your fault. Don't let it get to you. Losing some old friends is tough. If you can strengthen the bond with your new friends, you will not lose them." Nonette said.

Guilford felt energized from her words, "Why I... milady... I guess you're right in that remark."

"So, shall we be going?" Nonette asked.

"Yes." Darlton said.

* * *

**Port Yokosuka**

Everyone except Nonette liked surprised from what they were seeing.

"Are those Sutherlands?" Darlton asked.

"That's right!" Nonette said, "They just look different."

Different was right. There were Sutherlands with two cannons hooked up on the back. There was another Sutherland with a giant artillery cannon called a 'Destroyer Horn' mounted on top the back with two more landspinners on the back. There was also a Sutherland with two electromagnetic tonfas in place of the old stun tonfas. There was even a Sutherland that was using body armor with built-in cannons and missile launchers.

"Incredible... all these new types..." Cornelia said.

"The Knightmare Evolution Plan has bore fruit." Nonette said, "Companies all over Britannia have been developing weapons that could be used in the military for a chance to be recognized by the military and have them working with the finest engineers to ever grace the military. What you're seeing is the result of the work they put into making these new additions to our Knightmare arsenal."

Among the new Sutherlands were the RPI-5 Liverpools, Knightmares designed to combat the EU's Panzer Hummel and Chinese Federation's Gun-Ru. A long range type Knightmare Frame built to provide support. However, they were more like tanks given legs and piloted by a computer. It looked like a tank with two legs. It was mostly colored green. They were armed with a 20mm cannon, a 5.56mm gatling gun, and a missile launcher. They were good at fighting from a distance, but are vulnerable in close combat.

Suddenly, a giant four legged machine was rolling out of the ship on 4 double wheeled landspinners. It was rather big. It had a giant cannon on it. Everyone looked surprised by the big machine. It was colored green with the cannon looking blue.

"Whoa... now that's a big one." Darlton said, "So whats this?"

"The RPI-17 Canterbury, our first Knightmare siege engine and mobile artillery unit." Nonette said, "The company in charge with its construction has partnered with the Camelot. It's being sent here to be finished up with the help of the ASEEC Corps, who have hopefully finished the weapon needed to complete the Canterbury."

"Complete? You mean it hasn't been finished?" Darlton asked.

"Yes. And I've brought a Gloucester that's been upgraded." Nonette said.

"An upgraded Gloucester?" Cornelia asked.

"Yes, Gloucester Final Type. Armed with a sword and shield that can combine into a great sword." Nonette said, "The Gloucester Final Type has much better performance than that of a regular Gloucester. It makes it the perfect unit for a skilled warrior to use."

"Amazing..." Cornelia said.

"Now then, about the Somersets and the Ikaros, did they strike your fancy after their public debut?" Nonette asked.

"Well... I guess we'll have to roll with it." Darlton said, "At least now Britannia has Knightmares for all types of combat, be it naval, land, and aerial."

"That's true." Guilford said.

"Now this ASEEC Corps I heard from Schneizel, where are they?" Nonette asked, "I think I wanted to meet them. Get to know them better."

"Well, they're testing a new weapon they've just made. It's a revolutionary weapon made up of all the latest railgun technology." Guilford said, "At least that's what I got before the scientific jargon started coming out."

"And the testing area?" Nonette asked.

* * *

**North Point Air Force Base, 10 miles from Tokyo Settlement**

Mihaly was looking at the new arrival of Somersets that were made fresh off the assembly line. His asthma was acting up again. He was coughing badly as blood was coughed out. He got his inhaler out and breathed in the medicine that was in it. He needed to take a dose or two outside of combat to keep the illness under control while having to take twice the amount in combat. Despite his condition, all he wanted was the sky and the happiness of his granddaughters. He breathed easily now.

Airbase commander Orson Perrault came in. The fat man with brown hair and green eyes was a patriotic man, albeit with a poor sense of humor. He berated those who dare question his orders or act unpatriotic or even treat those under his command or towards him with disrespect. He was often tough with recruits, saying that 'they don't even know the first rule of survival' and that 'they won't last long if they act like they're the king of the world'. He saw Mihaly looking at the new Somersets.

"I couldn't believe it when they told me that you were being assigned here to North Point." Orson said, "Yet here you are. Mihaly of the Sun. You were an ace pilot back then in the war 7 years ago. You're over 60 if I remember correctly."

"That's true. I am an ace." Mihaly said, "I've flown on many combat missions, including those during that war before it ended."

Orson felt proud meeting such a man. He was a war hero, a hero he liked. It was back when he was a new recruit that he heard of Mihaly. Orson loved meeting war heroes.

"I heard you refused to retire. Despite your illness and your age, you refused. Why is that?" Orson asked.

Mihaly took a breath of fresh air, "The sky is where I belong."

"The sky?" Orson asked, "You mean you stayed just so you can fly over and over again?"

"No. Not over and over, but forever." Mihaly said, "I'll be dead soon by the time I'm 70 years old. Until then, I'm not truly in the skies."

Orson walked back a bit on hearing that, "I... I see..."

He looked with a patriotic look on his face, "As a fellow patriot, I have to respect you and you have to respect me. Got it? It's how I run things around here."

Mihaly looked at Orson, "I suppose so."

* * *

Snow watched as the Ikaros went under its final check up. The ammunition checks out, harkens work, energy fillers have been replaced, the motors have been tuned up. Snow drank a cup of water. He heard that mass-production for the Ikaros was costly. It couldn't be easily as mass-produced as the Somerset. The Ikaros was a hulking beast compared to any Knightmare Frame. No Knightmare in the world could top it.

Because of the Ikaros, rumors were going around that other companies were beginning to jump in on the Knight Giga Fortress industry, hoping to dominate the markets and make a quick buck while giving the military a new toy to play with.

Snow loved his wife, his kids, the sky, he loved all that life has given him. He didn't have a care in the world. He joined the Air Force because he believed in it. He believed in the Air Force and wanted to take to the skies to protect Britannia from destruction. He was simply a man who wanted to perform his duties in the sky as well as provide for his family.

* * *

**ASEEC Testing Site**

The Lancelot was holding a new weapon built by Lloyd. It was called the Variable Ammunition Repulsion Impact Spitfire (VARIS) Rifle. It is the result of railgun technologies combined into a single weapon. Suzaku aimed the rifle at a far away target.

He aimed it carefully and pulled the trigger. A straight green beam-like round shot out and hit the target. It busted through the bullseye. Suzaku looked impressed by the VARIS. He looked to the Club as it was holding its custom assault rifle. It was more sleeker than the average assault rifle used by Sutherlands and Gloucesters. The barrel extended out. Rai aimed at his target and fired. The bullets hit the target consecutively.

"Hmm... the VARIS did well. The custom rifle did just as well." Lloyd said, "Well boys, I guess thats it now."

"That's it?" Cecile asked.

"Yes, yes. We're done here." Lloyd said, "The VARIS works and the custom assault rifle works. Everything checks out. We've done everything and—"

"On the contrary!" A voice boomed.

Lloyd and Cecile turned as Rai and Suzaku got out from the cockpits of their Knightmares and came down. They look to see Nonette Enneagram standing before them. Suzaku quickly felt tense and stood straight. Rai looked confused while Lloyd smiled in glee. Cecile simply looked serious.

"Why hello there lady Enneagram. What brings you here?" Lloyd asked.

"And you are?" Nonette asked.

"Earl Lloyd Asplund, at your service." Lloyd said.

"EARL?!" Suzaku exclaimed, "Lloyd you never told me that you were an Earl! We've known each other for like what? A week or so? Why didn't you—"

He quickly remembered that the Knight of Nine was still here and quickly stood upright. Nonette laughed.

"There's no need for formality. I maybe a Knight of the Round, but there's no need for you to treat me as such. Just think of me as a friend!" Nonette said.

"Oh! Of... course my lady— I mean uh—! Um—! Gah!"

"Just Nonette will do... uh..."

"Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi! Reporting for duty!" Suzaku said as he was shaking and sweating.

"Wait... I don't get it. What's going—?"

"Oh, I'm a Knight of the Round, one of the strongest Knights in Britannia. To be specific, I'm the Knight of Nine." Nonette said, "Being a Knight of the Round kinda makes you seem like royalty. People respect you and your power and show proper etiquette around you as they would with a nobleman or a member of royal blood."

"So... what does that mean exactly?" Rai asked so casually asked.

"It means you'll have to respect me as you would your superiors... uh..."

"Warrant Officer Rai." Rai said.

"Again, ditch the formalities with me. Since it's just us, it's only appropriate that we become good friends and colleagues." Nonette said, "Anyway, Lloyd, is that weapon finished?"

"Oh? The VARIS you mean? Why yes. Why do you ask?" Lloyd asked.

"Well the Canterbury has been dropped off and it'll be glad if you could help finish it so it can be tested." Nonette said.

"Oh?! The Canterbury that Camelot was working on for 7 years is almost complete?" Lloyd said, "I guess we could make that happen."

He turned to the ASEEC personnel that were here, "Alright everyone, we're going to the Viceroy's Palace. A new toy from the mainland has arrived and we'll be putting on the finishing touches."

"Wait, Canterbury? What's that?" Rai asked.

"You'll see." Lloyd said with a gleeful smile.

* * *

**Kyoto House**

The Six Houses of Kyoto have gathered for a meeting with the exception of Kaguya Sumeragi. Munakata noticed that Kaguya wasn't here.

"Where is lady Kaguya?" Munakata asked.

"She is headed to Lake Kawaguchi. Most likely to oversee the Annual Sakuradite Production Summit." Taizo said.

"The Annual Sakuradite Production Summit? You mean it's taking place there?" Osakabe asked, "I see, she's going there as an observer, correct?"

"Yes. Her guard detail is with her, she'll be fine." Kubouin said.

"Good, it would be bad if something were to happen to her." Yoshino said.

"Yes, it would be troubling indeed." Munakata said, "It would deal a blow to Japan and Kyoto is she is to be lost."

"Gentlemen, let's focus on why we are here." Taizo said, "It's because of our resistance efforts that the Britannians are deploying new weapons here as we speak. Including one particular weapon that just so happens to resemble our Raiko."

"New weapons?" Munakata asked.

"Yes," Taizo said as he brought out a paper containing intel on what the spies had found regarding the new weapons, "This is a report that just came in hours ago."

He handed it off to the other members.

"Hmm... the Britannians must have had plans on constructing these weapons in the case something like our resistance efforts began to worry them." Munakata said, "It's good that we decided to enact the plan we had set up before then."

"Yes. These weapons look terrifying." Kubouin said.

"The Guren Mk2 is being sent to Zero, correct?" Osakabe asked.

"Not just that, but the Byakuen as well." Taizo said.

"The Byakuen? But that thing is difficult to pilot." Munakata said, "Wait, you don't mean that—"

"Yes, it is believed that the White Jack that these Britannians know of is apparently an Overman." Taizo said, "In other words, a human who has ascended to a new form."

"Is this true?!" Osakabe asked.

"Yes. It would seem so." Taizo said.

"That would make sense, given how I heard that he shot down four of Cornelia's Royal Guard by himself." Munakata said, "He's certainly gotten people's attention alright."

"And what of Zero? Rumors are rising that he's raising an army." Kubouin said.

"An army?" Yoshino asked, "Well, he's already got the Red Moon and the Yamato Alliance under his influence, so it's possible that he is building an army."

"And if he proves successful?" Munakata asked, "Are we still sending them the Guren Mk2 along with the Byakuen?"

"We shall see." Taizo said.

* * *

**Train outbound for Lake Kawaguchi**

Rei was with Lalah and members of the Student Council. Lelouch was elsewhere, Kallen was sick, Rivalz was at work at a bar, Suzaku and Rai had military work, and Nunnally wouldn't come Milly, Shirley, and Nina were with them. Nina seemed scared about leaving the Settlement where it was safe. Rei recounted what Lalah told him about Nina's xenophobia.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

**Ashford Academy**

"She's afraid of Elevens?" Rei asked.

"Yes. She used to visit the ghettoes before she was assaulted by a group of them. Ever since then, she was scarred mentally from the incident." Lalah said, "Ever since then, she's been fearful of Elevens."

Rei looked saddened, 'And I'm part Japanese...'

If Nina ever found out about his mother, she'd be afraid of him. He looked serious.

"It's frustrating." Rei said.

"Huh?" Lalah asked.

"We Overmen can understand each other with no barriers blocking us from doing so." Rei said, "And yet, ordinary people fail to understand each other due to all the barriers that prevent people from understanding each other."

Lalah looked at Rei with saddened eyes, "Rei..."

"The reason Nina has such a fear for Ele— no... the reason she has a fear for the Japanese is because of Britannia's own methods and policies. Because of what Britannia did, the Japanese hate Britannians. They hate them for what they did to them." Rei said, "All Britannia has done is made the lives of those they subjugate worse by taking everything away from those people who have been subjugated. Because of that, the Numbers hate Britannians. It's because of Britannia's methods and its own policies that people have to live in fear because of terrorism, discrimination, war, poverty, disease, and famine. They don't even care about anyone below them, just as long as they get what they want, it doesn't matter who gets hurt."

Lalah looked at Rei with worry. He was starting to sound like Suzaku whenever he thinks about Zero, only Rei was going in the opposite direction when he thinks about Britannia.

* * *

_**Present**_

**Outbound train to Lake Kawaguchi**

"I never saw what was outside the Settlement." Rei said, "I wonder what's like out there."

"Me too." Lalah said.

"Is it safe?" Nina asked.

"It'll be safe! Besides, you got us in case something goes wrong." Shirley said.

"Shirley's right." Milly said, "As long as we're here, nothing bad will happen."

"I... I guess so." Nina said as she felt comfort.

Suddenly, Rei felt pressure coming down on him. Lalah felt the pressure coming as well. They also heard a noise.

_'This pressure... where is it coming from?'_ Rei thought.

_'This presence... is there an Overman on this train along with us?'_ Lalah thought.

* * *

In the car in front of them, Kaguya Sumeragi was sitting in her seat. She was wearing a disguise.

_'I knew it. Two others with a connection to God.'_ Kaguya thought, _'I wasn't the only one on this train. Good. One of them has to be the White Jack.'_

The train was headed into a tunnel. Kaguya closed her eyes and thought about Zero.

_'I'll be waiting.'_ Kaguya thought.

* * *

**JLF Base, Narita**

"He did **WHAT?!**" Katase exclaimed.

"Yes sir! We tried to stop him, but he—!"

"Where is the damn fool now?!" Kastase asked.

"He's headed to Lake Kawaguchi." A JLF soldier said.

'But that's where the—! That idiot!' Katase thought, "Can you stop him before he gets there?"

"I'm sorry sir! I'm afraid we can't!" The soldier said, "If we go after him, our base will—!"

"You don't understand a damn thing, do you?! Lady Kaguya is headed to the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel to observe the Annual Sakuradite Production Summit!" Katase exclaimed, "He's going to take everyone there hostage and no one will be able to do a damn thing of it! He's going on a damned suicide mission! The JLF will lose the support of the Japanese and Kyoto! He must be stopped!"

"Right away sir!" The soldier said before cutting transmission.

Katase banged his desk in anger, _'What the hell does he think he's doing?! Taking a Raiko to there of all places at a time like this!'_

* * *

_**Later...**_

**Rendezvous Point**

Naoto and the combined group of the Red Moon and the Yamato Alliance arrived at where Zero wanted to meet them. There was a huge vehicle. It was the size of a truck. They entered the truck to find Zero sitting on a U-shaped couch. The vehicle had a second floor. It was grand on the inside.

"Cruising in style... now that's something I can get behind." Naoto said, "Let me guess, this is—"

"A former noblemans' truck." Zero said, "I had exposed the owner's corruption out on the internet. He's lost his trailer, so I have claimed it as my own."

Lelouch chuckled on the inside, 'That poor bastard. He shouldn't have tried me in that chess match before Shinjuku happened.'

That poor bastard was a noblemen he faced in chess just before he got involved in Shinjuku. He didn't need Geass to take the truck. He was lucky to find evidence of his corruption and eliminate him without needing to use Geass. He then manipulated the records and had this vehicle owned under an assumed name as a mere front to hide that Zero was its true owner. He was glad to try alternatives methods to achieve his goals without the use of Geass. It gave him a challenge that gave him the opportunity to improve himself in different areas that were deemed necessary.

"I've got some uniforms stacked upstairs." Zero said, "You might want to put them on."

The group went up stairs and brought down some boxes and opened them up, revealing to be black uniforms hats and visors. For the males, they got black jackets. The females got black jackets with a black mini skirt. Everyone was trying them on. Yoshida noticed there was a TV and a remote.

"Huh, I wonder if there's anything good to watch..." Yoshida wondered as he turned the TV on. It was the news.

"I'm reporting live from the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel," a news reporter said, "the hotel jackers claimed to be the Japan Liberation Front."

"WHAT?!" Everyone in the room except Zero exclaimed.

_'Oh no...'_ Lelouch thought.

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel**

Rei along with the rest of the student council were held hostage with some public officials, hotel workers and tourists.

_'Damn! How did I not see this?!'_ Rei thought, _'Everyone... Kallen Oneechan, Naoto Oniichan, Everyone... hurry!'_

* * *

**Zero's Trailer**

"Several public officials and members of the Sakuradite Allocating Committee including Chairman James were taken as hostages along with hotel employees and tourists." The reporter said, "We have footage from the perpetrators. Putting up now."

Footage was playing in a storage room.

"As you can see, some students are there along with Chairman James." The reporter said.

In the footage was Rei along with the rest of the student council. Naoto immediately looked furious and was about to lose it.

"Why those sons of—!"

He was about to storm out until Ohgi and the others piled on top of him.

"Get off of me! Get off! If you idiots don't let me go—!"

"Calm down man! Calm down!" Tamaki exclaimed.

Everyone else was trying to encourage Naoto to calm down.

_'That's just great... not only is the student council held as hostages, but Rei is among them too! If I lose him, not only am I down an ace, but I'll lose the only person I know who can succeed me as Zero!'_ Lelouch thought with bitterness.

He felt his anger burning. He calmed himself down.

_'No... stay calm Lelouch. Don't lose focus. You can rescue them. There is a way through this.'_ Lelouch thought, _'Cornelia hasn't moved in yet, so that could mean that... why of course! That's it!'_

* * *

**JLF Base, Narita**

Todoh and the Four Holy Swords we're watching the news broadcast.

"The leader of the hotel jacking is none other than a Josui Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front." The reporter said.

"That **imbecile**!" Todoh exclaimed as he slammed his fist on the floor, "What the hell does he think he's doing?!"

"Is there anything that can be done?" Asahina asked.

"There's nothing we can do. Not with a situation like this." Urabe said.

"But what about Lady Kaguya? Isn't she safe?" Senba asked.

"For now, she is. But until then..." Chiba said.

_'That fool! He's doomed himself and everyone along with him!'_ Todoh thought, _'We need to lessen the damage this is going to bring, otherwise its over for the Japan Liberation Front!'_

* * *

**Unknown Location**

VV stood on the temple with a cold look on his face.

"They have no idea of the monster they sealed themselves in with." VV said, "They'll be dead if they try anything with him. He'll kill everyone in that room."

He sat on the floor.

"That brat... if I had kept a tighter leash on him, he would have made an excellent operative," VV said before smiling, "Oh well, at least we have a sample of his hair and blood that we can clone him."

He gleefully smiled, "So... will you kill those your mother considered her people? Or will your principles keep in you line like a dog?"


	15. Chapter 14: The Black Knights

**Chapter 14: The Black Knights**

**Lake Kawaguchi**

"As you all know, sakuradite is an essential component for manufacturing high-temperature superconductors, making it a vitally strategic resource that affects world security." A female reporter said while Diethard was in the van, "Area 11 is the largest producer of this material, having over 70% of the world's total supply. The annual national meeting for sakuradite producing countries was to determine how the resource was to be distributed among the nations of the world. From there, the global balance of power would be determined between Britannia and other countries. The terrorists have taken advantage of this annual meeting with this violent takeover."

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi Hotel**

Kusakabe stood with other members of the JLF and held his sheathed katana.

"I am Lieutenant Colonel Josui Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front." Kusakabe said, "We have stood long for Japan's independence. Though you may not be soldiers, you're still Britannians, the ones who oppress and rule over us. If I were you, I'd stay right where you are and behaves yourselves. If you don't, that's the last thing you'll ever do."

Rei contained his anger. While he did, Kaguya felt his anger.

_'This anger... he's the one. There is no doubt about it.'_ Kaguya thought, _'He's the one I've been searching for.'_

_'These people... they don't deserve to call themselves Japanese, let alone members of the Japan Liberation Front! They're just hyenas that prey on the weak!'_ Rei thought, _'People like them is why the world is a horrible place and Britannia has its excuse to call the Japanese monsters!'_

* * *

**G-1 Base**

There was a meeting in the bridge as they were discussing their options. Air and sea attempts have failed. The two bridges to the side have been folded up with the controls to them destroyed. That left only one option for them. The utilities tunnel below the hotel. Destroying the foundation block holding the hotel up would cause it to submerge. The storage room should hold out when the rescue operation begins. It was big enough for a Knightmare Frame to fit into. Even if the enemy had set up defenses there, it wouldn't be a problem getting through.

"Alright then, we'll go with that plan." Cornelia said, "Send a squad in."

* * *

**Utilities Tunnel**

A trio of Sutherlands were placed into the tunnel. They headed forth in the tunnel. However, the underestimate their foe. On the other end of the tunnel was the Type-5R/11G Raiko. It was a combination of four Glasgows hooked up to a giant electromagnetic cannon. there was a group of 4 quad-linked free-fire arm guns linked together to fire on a single target. A circular disk was on top of the machine. It had two pilots manning the machine.

"Just as we thought, they're using the tunnels." The back seater said.

"Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon online, voltage confirmed, round loaded." The pilot in the front said.

The lead Sutherland opened its factsphere and saw a light.

"Anti-Knightmare Rifles. Spread out." The lead ordered.

"Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon, firing now!" The pilot said.

He pulled the trigger. The cannon fired a huge canister. The canister was fastly approaching the Sutherlands and quickly released two dozen steel ball bearings. Before the Britannians could react, balls tore right through them an destroyed them all.

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi Hotel**

"Yes!" A JLF soldier said.

"The Raiko was a success!" Another soldier said.

"Hah! How do you like that? You Britannian pigs?" Kusakabe taunted.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"Wiped out?! All of them?!" Darlton said.

"Yes sir! The enemy has some kind of linear cannon up ahead, what do we do?" The staff officer asked.

"We can't show weakness to terrorists!" Cornelia said.

"But we can't the hostages be killed either." Nonette said.

"And the Sub-Viceroy is among the hostages..." Guilford said, "It's only a matter of time before they find out."

Cornelia bit her lip.

"Send in the ASEEC Corps." Durandal said as he got on the bridge.

"You want me to have an irregular unit that could possibly back stab us to go in there?" Cornelia said with venom.

"Cornelia, does your pride mean more to you than your own sister?" Durandal asked.

Darlton looked at Durandal with a glare, "Watch that tongue of yours, Captain. You don't want to lose it, do you?"

Cornelia was glaring daggers at Durandal, but that didn't faze him.

"You know it's the only way. If we don't the hostages are good as dead." Durandal said, "Knowing you, you'd refuse to negotiate. So really, there's no room to debate."

Cornelia looked angry with Durandal's words. Nonette looked at the situation before them.

"Nelly, as things stand now, it's best we give them a shot." Nonette said, "I mean, they protected her before, so can you trust them to save her?" Nonette asked.

"Nonette..." Cornelia said as she looked shocked at her friend's words.

"I'll let you think it over." Nonette said as she left.

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi**

Suzaku and Rai were outside the trailer looking at the hotel.

"This is unbelievable... on a day like this no less..." Rai said, "They didn't even order us to go in yet. All because we're Elevens. And I'm only half."

"Half?" Suzaku asked.

"Yeah, I think I remember part of myself now. I'm only half Britannian and half Eleven." Rai said, "Even so... we're stuck on standby."

"Well Princess Cornelia detests Numbers. She doesn't trust them well." Lloyd said.

"So the Japanese are still not being accepted into your structure?" Suzaku asked.

"But if they did, would the Honorary Britannian system matter after that?" Rai asked.

Suzaku sighed, "I guess that wouldn't sit well for Britannia, would it?"

"That's why we gotta climb up. Once we've gotten to a position of authority, we'll scratch the Number System and that's it." Rai said.

"Yeah, but..." Suzaku didn't know what to say after that.

"It's frustrating." Nonette said as she approached the two boys.

"Lady Nonette." Suzaku said.

The Knight of Nine looked at the two boys.

"Do you boys have a reason for living?" Nonette asked.

"Well duh! I need to know who I was before I lost my memories! Isn't that why I'm here?" Rai asked.

"I... I..." Suzaku struggled to find a good sentence.

* * *

_**Nightfall**_

**Lake Kawaguchi**

The Lancelot and the Lancelot Club were being prepared. As Suzaku was sitting in the cockpit, he couldn't help but feel rage. But something about this rage was off. It wasn't coming from him. It was coming from the hotel. Something in the hotel was giving of some kind of rage. Rai suddenly started feeling the same thing. It was coming from that building. Suzaku recounted a story his mother once told him. He also felt danger in the tunnel for some reason. Rai felt the same in that regard.

"Hey... Cecile?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes?" Cecile asked.

"Have you... ever felt an emotion that never came from you?" Suzaku asked.

"Huh?" Cecile asked.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I... I feel anger coming from the hotel." Suzaku said.

"Oh? Do I hear someone losing their sanity?" Lloyd asked.

"You wish." Rai said, "Besides, you're the only one without sanity here."

"I'm a sociopath, what were you expecting?" Lloyd asked.

Cecile sighed, "Some of the hostages were friends from school, right."

"Yes, that's true." Suzaku said.

"There's no need to worry. I'm sure negotiations are still ongoing." Cecile assured him.

"I know. I still have faith in the system." Suzaku said, "I'd prefer logic over one's individual emotions."

There was radio chatter. Suzaku looked on the screen and saw two JLF soldiers with a civilian up on the top of the hotel.

"No! They can't!" Suzaku said.

The civilian was pushed off the roof. Cecile turned away as Suzaku closed his eyes, refusing to watch the man fall to his death.

* * *

**Hotel**

Rei, Lalah, and Kaguya felt someone dying. Rei was immediately filled with rage. He suppressed it as Lalah contained her emotions and Kaguya could only sit in a grieving silence.

_'Those bastards! How dare they!'_ Rai thought.

Lalah could feel Rei's rage.

_'Rei... I understand how you feel, but you can't let your rage go loose.'_ Lalah thought.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"Our demands have not been met. So for every 30 minutes, we will throw one hostage off the roof." Kusakabe said, "For the sake of the hostages, negotiations better be in good faith."

After the transmission was cut off. Cornelia was heading to the hangar with Darlton and Guilford.

"This is their warning? How barbaric." Darlton said.

"We can at least just get the women children out if we—"

"If we give in, then we're only legitimizing terrorism." Cornelia said.

"Then force is the only option then." Darlton said.

"Yes, but only if we can guarantee the safety of the Sub-Viceroy." Guilford said.

_'Euphie... I...'_ Cornelia thought with worry in her heart.

"Your highness!" A soldier came out, "It's Zero! Zero has just showed up!"

"Is that a joke?" Darlton asked, "And don't get me wrong, it's just I think I might be going deaf in one of my ears."

"It's true General Darlton! He's here!" The soldier said.

"And opportunity has come into at last!" Durandal said as he smiled and stood in front of Cornelia and her knights, "Rejoice, your highness! We can now kill two birds with a simple stone!"

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi**

"Van 3 has been stolen?" Diethard asked, "What the hell was Johnson doing when that happened?"

"Well by the time he knew what was going on, it was too late." A cameraman said.

"Then where is it now?" Diethard asked.

"Towards the military." The cameraman said.

* * *

**Storage Room**

Rei suddenly felt a presence from below. This feeling... Rei recognized it. He grabbed Nina's hand getting her attention.

"It's going to be alright." Rei whispered, "Zero will save us."

_'Zero?'_ Nina thought.

She was beginning to relax slightly, but not enough to completely stop her from shaking. Kaguya felt Zero's presence.

_'Zero... you've come.'_ Kaguya thought.

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi**

The news van was just at the entrance of the bridge. Cornelia and her Knights had cut her off.

"Zero, I do not care if you are whether with the JLF or with us; Clovis will be avenged here and now." Cornelia said as she drew her rifle sword.

_'Moment of truth Cornelia.'_ Lelouch thought, "Is the dead Clovis more important than the still breathing Euphemia then?"

Cornelia looked taken back from hearing that. She was beginning to shake, 'How does he know?!'

_'I knew it. You still cared for her.'_ Lelouch thought, "If you let me through, I could help save the hostages and Euphemia."

Cornelia took that offer to consideration. She stopped shaking and stood straight.

"Fine then. But no funny business." Cornelia said.

"Do not worry, there won't be any." Zero said.

Cornelia allowed the van to go through. Inside were Naoto and the others.

"Are sure this is a good idea?" Tamaki asked.

"Hey, it's not like we can't let them know where we live in." Naoto said.

"Not only that, we don't have anyway out of this." Inoue said.

"I'm aware of that." Naoto said, "Let's just get this done and make it count."

As the van drove up to the hotel, the gates were opened.

_'Alright, all the tasks at hand are clear.'_ Lelouch thought, _'Now to go and get the hostages out, eliminate Kusakabe, and paint it as though he went against the wishes of the JLF and the Japanese. That way, the damage to the JLF is lessened. I **am** going to put them in my army after all.'_

Kusakabe watched from above. He smiled as the van drove up to the entrance.

* * *

Cornelia thought about what Durandal said. An idea dawned to her.

"Yes... this is an opportunity to kill two birds in one stone." Cornelia said to herself, "Have the Special Corps head in there."

"You're highness, what about—" Darlton paused and then smiled as soon as he was beginning to see the picture in development, "I see, killing two birds in one stone are we?"

"Ah... you mean he'll buy us time for us to save the hostages and eliminate him along with the terrorists as well." Guilford said, "I see now."

* * *

Lloyd looked ecstatic upon hearing the order, "Well boys! You're going in! We've got the green light!"

"Seriously?!" Rai asked, "About damn time too!"

"Yeah... I guess now is a good time." Suzaku said.

"Alright, lower them down." A soldier said.

The Lancelot and the Club were being lowered down into the tunnel.

"Alright boys, you two got only one chance to get this right." Nonette said.

"We won't fail, lady Nonette." Suzaku said.

"Remember, you have to get through that cannon and destroy the foundation block. Do that, and the search and rescue teams will handle the hostages." Cecile said, "Use the Variable Ammunition Repulsion Impact Spitfire to blast through that cannon while Rai takes out the foundation block using his rifle."

"Got it."

"Wilco."

Suzaku thought about the night before today.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

**Ashford Academy**

Suzaku was with Shirley in the hall.

"Lake Kawaguchi?" Suzaku asked.

"Yeah, we'll be going there on Sunday with Milly and the others. Lelouch won't be making since he has to take care of Nunnally, Kallen is sick, and Rivalz is at work." Shirley said, "Do you want to come?"

"Sorry, me and Rai have military work tomorrow." Suzaku said, "But thanks."

"Oh... Ok then. I guess I'll tell you everything when we get back." Shirley said.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

**Lake Kawaguchi**

The Lancelot and the Club reaches the tunnel.

"Starting countdown to operation start." Cecile said.

* * *

**Storage room**

Nina was shaking. She was shaking out of fear. A JLF soldier just so happened to walk by her.

"Eleven" slipped out of her tongue in a moment of horror.

"What was that?!" A JLF soldier exclaimed, "We're not Elevens you witch! We're Japanese!"

While there was yelling and screaming going on, Rei felt angered by all of this. He was powerless. The power that he had discovered in Shinjuku wasn't activating. He needed it now more than ever! Yet it refused to activate upon his command! He needed it! He needed—! He needed—!

* * *

Everything suddenly began to stop. The gears of time suddenly stopped around him. Time stood still around Rei as his rage was becoming more and more intense.

_"You desire power, do you not?"_ A voice said behind him.

Rei quickly stood up and noticed how everything had stopped. He looked around and turned behind him to see a girl much like the one he saw in the capsule in Shinjuku, only her eyes were pink and her hair was black, but then pink near the end of her hair.

_"Is it power that you seek?"_ The woman spoke to him.

"Who... are you?" Rei asked.

_"I am merely a watcher over humanity on the behalf of C."_ The woman replied to him.

"C? Who's C?" Rei asked.

_"Tell me, do you want power?"_ The woman asked.

"I... I..." Rei tried to find a sentence, "I do! I need power! I need power so I can protect these power!"

The woman stood there before she vanished. She appeared again up close and in front of him before she puts her hand on his head. Suddenly, he felt his mind being sucked in. Flashes went off in his head. There was a boy with blonde hair looking at him.

_"You want power, don't you?"_ The boy asked.

_"I... I need more..."_ another child spoke.

_'I... I remember now... this is where I met the person who gave me this power...'_ Rei thought.

_"Well then, we shall have a contract."_ The boy said, _"Are you sure this is what you want?"_

_"Please! Give me power! I need power!"_ The other young boy said.

_'That's right... I remember what it is now, what I need to do to activate it...'_ Rei thought.

* * *

Suddenly he slipped back into reality where he was sitting and the flow of time resumed. Nina struggled to get free. Rei suddenly stood up without any notion of fear in him.

"Scum." Rei said.

"What was that, brat?" Another JLF soldier said with a gun pointed to Rei's head, "If I were you, I'd—"

"Get out of my sight, you scum." Rei said.

"You—!"

Before the soldier could pull the trigger, Rei's Geass flared in his eyes and threw his hand off to the side with a red barrier around his fist. The soldier was smacked away from the boy as the barrier pushed the soldier back with incredible force like a spring loaded plunger in a pinball machine pulled at maximum strength. Every bone in the man's body broke as he was sent flying and hit the wall. The soldier hit his head and fell unconscious as his body dropped to the floor. The soldier holding Nina released her and started shooting at the boy.

A red barrier appeared and deflected the bullets upon impact. The barrier was angled so the bullets being deflected would not hit a civilian. The soldier kept shooting until his gun ran out of bullets. Veins began to bulge all over the child's body.

"Pathetic. Scum like you don't deserve to call yourselves Japanese, let alone the Japan Liberation Front." Rei said, "The ones who should be killing are those who are prepared to be killed."

"What the hell! What the hell are you?!" The soldier exclaimed as he panicked while reloading and accidentally dropped a mag.

"I'm the very thing that you shouldn't have locked up in here with you." Rei said, "People like you are the reason this world is so messed up. Hyenas preying on the weak. Playing off of the suffering of the weak. Tormenting the weak for your own gains."

"N-No! Wait!"

"People like you don't deserve anything." Rei said as his hand had a red light engulfing it as he formed a first.

He threw the punch while a voice spoke out, but he couldn't hear it over the sound of a loud boom. The red light burst forth. The force was so strong, the man's bones broke apart as his internal organs were being crushed from the force. The man hit the wall and lost consciousness. He fell to the floor with a broken body. The man coughed blood. Some of it got on Rei. The red light in his eye faded out. The veins began to shrink back to normal. Rei felt his strength fading. He felt his conscience slipping.

* * *

Milly quickly caught him as he was losing consciousness. She checked his pulse and felt a beat. He was alive, just unconscious. It made her wonder how all of that happened. It was unbelievable and completely impossible. Never did she witness something like that. She had no idea what to think of this. She turned to the girls who were shocked as well.

"None of you are to speak of this to **anyone**. Not a single soul. Not Suzaku, not Lelouch, **no one**." Milly said to the girls, "The last thing we need right now is a goddamn witch hunt on the school grounds. Got it?"

The girls nodded except for Nina, who was still in shock from what she saw.

"Nina. I need you to tell me that you won't tell anyone." Milly said to her.

Nina snapped out of it and heard what Milly said.

"I won't." Nina said.

"Good." Milly said, _'No one must ever know. Not Lelouch, not Nunnally, not Suzaku, not Rai, not Rivalz, no one. If people were to find out about this...'_

The door busted open and Naoto came in. He pulled his communicator out.

"The hostages are safe, we'll have them taken to the boat down on the basement." Naoto said.

"Good, we have the bombs set and ready to go." Izumi said, "We'll rendezvous as soon as everyone is done sweeping the building."

"Got it." Naoto said.

He was wearing the visor, so no one could tell who he was. He noticed some of the JLF soldiers guarding the room looked as if they were hit by something. He went over to check the man's pulse.

There was none.

Naoto quickly got back from the man. He looked at Rei, who was unconscious.

_'What in the hell happened here?'_ Naoto thought.

"Are you with Zero?" Euphemia asked.

"Yeah? What of it?" Naoto answered, "And let me guess, you're Princess Euphemia?"

One of her body guards quickly got up and pulled a gun out. Kaguya stood up and threw a kunai at the guard. The kunai knocked the gun out of the guard's hand.

"And you already know me then?" Kaguya asked.

Naoto turned to Kaguya, "Lady Kaguya Sumeragi. I didn't think you were coming here at all."

_'He figured me out? But how?'_ Euphemia thought.

Naoto looked to Euphemia, "Look, that disguise ain't fooling anyone. Your hair hasn't changed, you're not wearing contacts, and I swear I can smell your favorite perfume coming from you."

"What are you, an ace detective?" Milly asked.

"Could be." Naoto said, "Let me guess Millicent Ashford. I believe you're engaged to a certain... nobleman, right?"

Milly gasped, "But—! How?"

"Your fingers suggest that you had a ring on you once." Naoto said, "My eyes are sharp as blades milady."

Milly looked lost.

_'Is he Zero's right hand man?'_ Milly thought, _'The one they call Blue King?'_

"Take me to Zero." Kaguya said, "The Princess can come as well if she likes."

"Why of course then. Ladies, if you would follow me." Naoto said.

Nina couldn't speak. She was at a lost for words. She looked to Rei. Her cheeks began to slightly blush. The two ladies were escorted out of the room. The Yamato Alliance kids were escorting the rest of the hostages out.

* * *

**Room 902**

Kusakabe had two other soldiers in the room with him. Zero and Kusakabe were sitting on two chairs. Zero was opposite to Kusakabe as he was to Zero.

"It's nice to see a fellow resistance fighter such as yourself, but could you get rid of the mask, it's rude not to show your face." Kusakabe said.

"I'm afraid I can't. I have my reasons for keeping this mask on." Zero said, "It may be rude of me to hold onto it, but I have a good reason not to show my face."

"Hmph. Alright then. Let's just get to the point." Kusakabe said, "I—"

"You want me to join the JLF, is what you're going to say, correct?" Zero asked.

"O-Oh... I guess it is true, you can read people's thoughts." Kusakabe said.

Zero chuckled, "No. I'm just good at guessing. As for your request, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."

"What? Why is that?" Kusakabe asked.

"Because I don't just seek the liberation of Japan." Zero said, "Rather I should say that I seek the rebirth of Japan."

"Rebirth?" Kusakabe asked.

"Yes, like a phoenix, it will rise anew. It will be much stronger than the Japan of old. It will be strong enough to challenge Britannia." Zero said, "Why is that? It is because Japan's rebirth is not what I want, it is much more than that."

He pointed his finger to the ceiling, "I seek to destroy Britannia."

"Hm?!"

"Destroy?!"

"Britannia?!"

Zero stood up, "It may sound impossible, but remind me who was it that utterly bashed Clovis' forces and turn the tables on Cornelia!"

The men were silent.

"Exactly. It was I who did it! I had claimed tactical victory against the Britannians twice on the battlefield!" Zero said, "But there is another reason why I refuse to join you."

"Another reason?" Kusakabe asked.

"Yes," Zero said, "You've gone against the will of the Japan Liberation Front, and by extension, the Japanese people!"

"What was that?!" A soldier exclaimed.

"Stop!" Kusakabe ordered, "So what if I did?"

"You have sealed your own fate." Zero said.

* * *

**Utilities Tunnel**

Rai and Suzaku immediately felt a danger coming to them.

"Suzaku!" Rai said.

"I know!" Suzaku said as he had energy shields up.

The Raiko fires a canister. The ball bearings were released and the Blaze Luminous tanked the hit. The force created a huge blast of air at the hole above. Cecile, Lloyd, and Nonette felt the huge burst of air.

"Jesus! That kind of fire power would match the Canterbury!" Nonette said.

"They sure know how to amaze!" Lloyd said as he began laughing.

Cecile smacked him on the back of the head, "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah! We can still go!" Rai said, "Suzaku!"

"Got it!"

Suzaku took the Blaze down as Rai changed the rifle to sniping mode and began firing at the linear cannon ahead of them. The bullets deflected off the Raiko.

"They're shooting at us!" The back seater said.

"Then fire back! Use the quad-linked guns!" The pilot said.

The quad-linked guns began firing. Suzaku saw the incoming rounds and brought the blaze up. The incoming salvos were blocked and deflected.

"I'll go up front! You use the VARIS to blast that thing to hell!" Rai said.

"No! There's no time left!" Suzaku said.

"What?!" Rai exclaimed, "You'd rather play a game of chicken than follow a good strategic plan?! Are you crazy?! We'll be dead!"

"If we try to switch out, we'll die before we even get this done!" Suzaku said, "We have no other options!"

"Goddamnit! We can't rush at him head first! It's suicide!" Rai said.

* * *

**Room 902**

The door banged, "Colonel it's the two individuals that we were told of." A JLF soldier said, "It's Princess Euphemia and Lady Kaguya."

_'As I predicted.'_ Lelouch thought, _'W-Wait... what's this... feeling?'_

He soon heard a noise calling to him.

_'What is happening? Am I hearing things?'_ Lelouch thought.

He quickly sensed a danger coming to him.

He turned to see Kusakabe pull his katana out. He pulled his gun out and—

**BANG!**

Kusakabe felt to the floor with a knee bleeding. His katana fell to the floor. Zero felt more danger coming to him. Without even a single bit of hesitation, Zero grabbed the katana and charged at one of the men, cutting the unfortunate man down and shooting the other one in the head.

The soldier by the door opened it, only for Naoto to shoot at his shoulder.

"Hey now... let's not get too hasty." Naoto said.

_'I... I did that. That was me. I did that.'_ Lelouch thought, _'Am I... an Overman? Rei must have reacted just the same in Saitama when he was fighting the Royal Guard, so maybe I just did the same. This can't be just a coincidence...'_

"Hello future husband." Kaguya said with a smile, "It's me, your future wife!"

"Future wife?!" Euphemia asked.

"What? A woman needs her dream man, doesn't she?" Kaguya asked.

"W-Well... Yeah, b-but—"

Lelouch's eyes widened upon seeing Kaguya, _'Oh no.'_

"H-Hello there, Kaguya Sumeragi... And you too, Princess Euphemia. As you can see... I... uh... killed these men for disobeying the will of the Japanese and the JLF!" Zero said, 'Why did she have to be here?!'

He quickly puts the katana back in its sheath and hid it.

"You bastard... you call yourself Japanese?" Kusakabe asked.

Zero shot the man with little regard, finally killing him.

"Good for nothing fool. He should have realized how pointless this operation was." Zero said, "Come on in ladies."

Kaguya didn't hesitate to rush at Zero and hug him. Her hug was so tight, he felt his lungs and his diaphragm being crushed by the constriction of Kaguya's hugging.

_'Oh god no! Not again!'_ Lelouch thought.

He remembered the last time Kaguya hugged him being the one that mentally scarred him. He felt like his spine was slowly about to snap like a twig and felt the same in his ribs. To him, she was the bane of his bones, and that's not even terrible compared to—

"He can't breathe!" Euphemia said as she pulled Kaguya away.

Zero finally got a chance to breathe.

"Whoopsie daisy. I forgot how strong my hugs are." Kaguya said, "Forgive me."

"No no... it's ok... I just wish... that I exercised more often." Zero said as he panted, _'Damn you Kaguya! Must your kindness be the one that kills me?!'_

"Now that we have that out of the way, I want to know why you killed my brother." Euphemia said.

"Oh... yes of course. Let's... let's get to that." Zero said as he regained full control of his breathing, "It was because he ordered the deaths of millions to hide a terrible secret, that I think you already know of."

"The woman of immortality." Euphemia said, "What about her? Was she someone you were in love with?"

"No." Zero said, "She and I have no relationship whatsoever. I didn't even catch her name or bonded with her in any sort of way possible."

"Then what was—!"

"She was experimented on." Kaguya said, "They were trying to turn her into a living weapon. I have the proof."

She handed Euphemia a documents. Euphemia browsed through it and found the unimaginable in it. The woman was purely incapable of death. Not even fire or electricity could kill the woman. Then she saw something that made her fall to her knees. It was the boy. He was involved in it. He too was a part of the sinister experiments conducted by Clovis. It all made sense to her. The regenerative abilities, what she saw in the storage room, everything was made clear to her. Clovis was turning the poor boy into a weapon, the girl was only just the source. The boy's powers and regeneration abilities would have created an army of it had not been for Zero.

"You see now Euphemia? Clovis was once a nice person, but his desire for the woman's power turned him into a monster and thus, I had to kill him before he could become a demon." Zero said, "Just like the spawn of the Emperor to seek more power to gain the throne."

_'So in the end, it was because you desired that woman's power that you...'_ Euphie thought.

"As for the boy he had locked up in captivity—"

"His parents died." Euphemia said.

Lelouch stopped himself, "So you knew..."

Kaguya recoiled from hearing that, gasping in horror.

"They died in Shinjuku, didn't they?" Euphie asked.

"Wrong," Zero said, "It was 7 years ago."

"7 years ago? No! You don't mean—!"

* * *

**Utilities Tunnel**

Suzaku extended the impact rail out. Two capacitors came out from the impact rail.

"Maximum charge! I don't give a damn if it destroys the guns! We're gonna defend this place with our lives! SMASH HIM!" The pilot said.

Suzaku sensed an attack coming, _'NOW!'_

He fired the VARIS, letting off a blue spherical beam that spiraled forth with energy. The Raiko fires at the same time the Lancelot did. The canister released the ball bearings, but not before the blue energy sphere smashed through it and continued, disintegrating the ball bearings. The blue beam goes straight into the Raiko's main cannon. The beam hits the generator in the cannon and causes a giant explosion. The explosion was so big, there was a huge hole in the tunnel that allowed water to flood it. Rai fires the grenade launcher on his rifle. The grenade hits the foundation block and destroyed it.

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi**

The explosion could be seen from the surface. The hotel began to fall right in.

"They did it!" Cornelia said, "Guilford!"

"Start rescue operations at once!" He ordered.

The two Lancelot came out of the tunnel.

"We made it!" Rai said.

"Yeah! We—! Huh?!" Suzaku stopped as he looked to see who was in the room.

It was Zero. He was looking at him.

* * *

**Room 902**

_'Goodbye, White Knight.'_ Lelouch thought as he pressed on a hidden detonator.

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi**

The hotel was subjected to explosions that caused the building to break apart.

"EUPHIE!" Cornelia yelled as she reached out.

"My friends!" Suzaku said as he jumped in.

Rai fires his slash harkens and pulled the Lancelot back over and caught it.

"Rai! What are you doing?!" Suzaku said.

"It's not worth it!" Rai said.

"But—!"

The building collapsed. Diethard was in the van.

"What happened to Van 3?" Diethard asked.

"We lost the signal sir." A camera man said.

"Then let's wait until we get it back!" Diethard said, "Amateurs."

He was wondering what happened to Zero and what his next play was. Rai activated his factspheres to see if anyone survived. Suzaku wasn't doing anything. He looked down.

"Come on Suzaku! It's not like they'd die that easily! I'm certain that they're alive!" Rai said.

"Forget it Rai. They're dead... we failed." Suzaku said, 'Not again...'

"There's still hope! I believe they're alive! Can't you do the same?!" Rai asked.

"Rai... stop it. Just stop. We've done enough." Suzaku said.

"Actually boys... you might want to check to your left." Nonette said on the comms.

They looked to the left to see a boat with other life boats.

"They're alive!" Rai said, "I told you they'd make it!"

Suzaku looked relieved.

* * *

On one of the lifeboats, Rei regained his consciousness. He was looking up at the night sky. Lalah noticed he was awake.

"Rei!" Lalah said as he hugged him.

"L-Lalah... what's going on?" Rei asked, "Am I dead?"

"No you silly goose! You're still with us..." Lalah said.

* * *

Euphie saw the boy awake, _'Oh thank goodness he's ok.'_

* * *

Diethard looked ecstatic upon seeing the footage coming from the camera from van 3.

"Yes!" Diethard said, "Quick! Start rolling!"

* * *

**Tokyo Settlement**

Rivalz breathed a sigh of relief as he polished a bottle of whiskey as he saw the tv broadcasting the lake with the hostages saved, "Thank god!"

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi**

Cornelia looked crossed on the other hand as she saw Zero there on the boat.

"Britannia, I hand you the hostages all safe and sound." Zero said.

_'Of all the brazen audacity—!'_ Cornelia thought, _'If we attack you, they'll be your hostages, won't they?!'_

Lights lit up as Zero and the group behind stood on the front of the ship.

"Behold, for we are the Order of the Black Knights!" Zero said.

* * *

"Terrorists, calling themselves knights? Oh the irony~." Lloyd said.

_'And so the Black Knight has created an army of black knights...'_ Nonette thought.

Durandal smirked, "Interesting."

* * *

"We stand for the weak to protect them from those who wish them harm. Be it Elevens or Britannians." Zero said, "I will not repudiate on an evenly matched battlefield, but nor will I allow a massacre of the weak by the strong!"

"That's right! I said let it run!" Diethard said, "**Liable?!** I'll be the one responsible for this!"

"Clovis ordered the death of millions of innocent Japanese, all to hide the truth that he was conducting horrible experiments on a woman with immortality in a hunger for creating an army of immortal super soldiers!" Zero said, "Thus I took his life!"

* * *

"Now, upload it." Durandal said on the phone.

"Yes Captain." A fellow servant of his said.

* * *

"Those who should kill are those who are prepared to **be** killed!" Zero said.

* * *

**JLF Base, Narita**

Members of the JLF, including Todoh and the Four Holy Swords along with General Katase were watching the broadcast.

"What Kusakabe did here was against the will of the JLF and by extension, the **will** of the Japanese themselves! I killed him as **punishment** for going against the wishes of the Japanese. Those who joined him no longer have any **right** to be called members of the JLF or even be called Japanese after taking hostages and executing them one by one!" Zero said.

Katase breathed a sigh of relief.

_'Good... at least he's lessening the damage that's been done to the JLF.'_ Katase thought, _'As long as aren't connected to him anymore, that's good enough.'_

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi**

Kallen and Naoto were next to Zero.

_'Knights of Justice?'_ Naoto thought.

_'Protecting those who cannot protect themselves...'_ Kallen thought.

"Whenever the strong hurt the weak, the Black Knights shall appear." Zero said, "No matter how dire the circumstances are, we will keep on fighting until there is no more evil in the world!"

* * *

Rei looked at Zero. He was still weak. He couldn't move just yet.

_'That's right... in order to make a world where people can be happy... we must rid the world of evil...'_ Rei thought, _'For everyone's sake... I must fight as well...'_

* * *

CC was watching from the trees.

"Just as I thought, my cells don't take to kindly to him using his Geass for a limited amount of time." CC said, "If he uses it for too long..."

* * *

Zero extends his right hand, "Those of you with power, fear us!"

He extended his left, "Those of you without power, rally behind us!"

He crossed his hands together before bringing out the katana he had taken from Kusakabe and tapped it on the ship and held it.

"We, the Order of the Black Knights shall be the ones to judge this world!" Zero said.


	16. Chapter 15: Complications

**Chapter 15: Complications**

It was morning in Area 11. The sun shined its light upon the Stadtfeld Mansion. Stadtfeld Mansion was owned by a James Stadtfeld who was once a private detective, now proud business man. Kallen was in her bed, lying down and resting herself. There was a loud crash and shot up out of the bed.

_'What the hell?'_ Kallen thought.

She quickly got her robe on and went outside her room to find the source of the noise. She soon found a broken chandelier and a tipped over step ladder. There was a Japanese maid with long brown hair tied into a ponytail with blue eyes. She looked upset over the mess.

"Oh no, oh dear." The maid said before she quickly noticed Kallen, "Oh Ka— Mistress, my apologies, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Again?" Kallen sighed.

"I'm sorry Mistress, I tripped on the step ladder and when I grabbed the chandelier..."

"Just clean this mess up." Kallen said, "I need to be ready for school."

The maid looked happy upon hearing that.

"You've been going to school much more recently Mistress," The maid said, "Have you been making some new—"

"Does it matter to you?!" Kallen interjected with anger in her voice.

She went back and closed the door, leaving the maid to look saddened.

_'Oh Kallen...'_ the maid thought,_ 'My poor sweet Kallen...'_

Kallen was in her room.

_'Why? Why won't she leave?'_ Kallen thought to herself.

She looked to a portrait with a photo that was taken only 9 years ago. In that photo was Kallen, Naoto, and the woman with the long hair.

_'Naoto, I wonder how you can be so understanding about what our weak and pathetic mother is doing.'_ Kallen thought, _'I don't understand. I just don't understand it at all...'_

* * *

_**Night**_

**A Warehouse by the port**

Within a warehouse in by the port was a pair of Britannian noblemen talking over a trade deal of the illicit kind. That being an exchange of contraband. Some suits were moving the contraband products to some shopping trucks.

"Even though it's for social security reasons, we can't just leave it to the Elevens. That's why it ended with you, isn't it?" A brown haired noble said.

"Princess Cornelia is too much of a warrior, she wouldn't approve of this."

"Yeah, but she's too focused on Zero and all the other Eleven terrorist groups."

"And the money?"

"It'll go to your wife's account, that I can assure you."

The lights went off and there was gun fire. The noblemen ducked as the suits were gunned down. One of them reached for the circuit breaker and flipped it on, getting the lights back on. They were surrounded by Black Knights up on the catwalk with Zero holding the katana.

"Whoopsie daisy there gentlemen, did I pop in unannounced?" Zero said.

"Y-You're—!"

* * *

**_The next day..._**

**Ashford Academy**

"The Black Knights!"

Kallen was standing up, looking very sleepy. The whole class laughed. Lelouch tried to hold it in. Rai was absolutely confused. Suzaku covered his face with his hands.

_'I need to sleep more often...'_ Kallen thought.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Rei was studying with the class. As he did, he took some time to reflect upon everything that happened last night.

* * *

_**Last Night**_

**Zero's Mobile Base**

"You want me as your successor?" Rei asked.

"Yes." Zero said, "I know that at some point during our war against Britannia that I will no doubt die."

"So what do you want me to do?" Rei asked.

"Simple really," Zero said, "You are to be my apprentice."

Rei looked surprised, "Apprentice?"

"Yes. You are a child who has only scratched the surface of this world and already there are things you do not know." Zero said, "I must ensure that someone will take my place as Zero. If I die, I need you to take up the mask."

"But why me?" Rei asked.

"Because you are an Overman. Not only that, I can see how good of a commander you would be. You're kind, naturally skilled, and last but not least, you have a spark of leadership in you. I can tell." Zero said.

"I see..." Rei said, "So where do I start?"

"You're talents must be properly polished. Your knowledge must be expanded upon. You must improve your physical and mental abilities. Your Overman abilities too must grow." Zero said, "As you can see, you have a long way to go."

Rei looked worried, "I really do, Huh?"

"Yes, we have a lot of work to do." Zero said.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

**Ashford Academy**

He sighed, _'Zero's successor... who would have thought that'd be me...'_

He focused on his studies. As far as he knew, since the debut of the Black Knights, things have changed once again. The world was in upheaval, only to a greater effect. The Black Knights we're doing a better job than the police was doing, which had gotten the government's ire. Not only that, they've been practically lambasting the government for not picking up on the corruption within Area 11 sooner or later.

* * *

**JLF Base, Narita**

"Recruitment has decreased slightly. Some of the new recruits seem to favor the Black Knights, but we haven't confirmed if they had any intention on joining them." A JLF soldier said, "No one has left the JLF, thankfully. Some of the junior staff feel troubled. We still have support from the Japanese, which is good. The Black Knights have been getting support from not only the Japanese, but also some Britannians for some reason."

"Britannians? Supporting the Black Knights?" Katase asked.

"Yes... it's weird, but it makes sense given what happened at Lake Kawaguchi." The soldier said.

"And any remnants of Kusakabe's men?" Katase asked.

"They've been dealt with." The soldier said.

"Good." Katase said, "What of Kyoto?"

"They are sending the newly built Burais over to Narita while sending some to the Black Knights. Kyoto is handing them the Guren Mk2 and the Byakuen." The soldier said, "The Four Holy Swords have been scheduled to get the Burai Kai from them."

"Right then." Katase said, "Thank you for the report."

"No problem sir." The soldier said before leaving.

Katase was beginning to think things over.

_'Zero... What are you trying to do?'_ Katase thought.

* * *

**New Blood of the Samurai Base**

Within the new base of the Blood of the Samurai which was underground, the leader of the Blood of the Samurai, Takamura Nidai, sat on his chair by his desk. He was a bulky man in his mid 40s. He had a scar over his chest. He had black hair and black eyes. He thought about Naoto Kōzuki and the Black Knights.

_'So he and his gang are part of the Black Knights eh?'_ Nidai thought, _'A man's gotta pay his debts. As respected commander in the Japanese military and a man, I will pay that debt back. As for you Naoto, you better not die on me until we're even.'_

* * *

**Underground Tunnels**

In one of the underground tunnels used by Kyoto to transport their weapons to resistance groups, the Type-10R Burai, Japanese oriented Glasgows, were being fitted onto transports. All the Burai that were being transported were all different. Most Burai are recognized by how their heads were different. They had samurai styled heads with fang-like cheekbones that make them appear to look like the Japanese Oni. They also had shield like brackets on their arms to block enemy melee attacks and an anti personnel machine gun fixed on the chest.

Along with the regular Burai were Burai of different types. There were Burai with spike shields that replace their protectors, Burai with a mini gun built onto the left arm, Burai with miniature versions of the Raiko's Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon, Burai with three two tubes bunker busted missiles and heavy armaments and reinforced armor, Burai with shoulder mounted missile launchers, Burai with cannons on their shoulders, Burai with two mini guns and with ammo on the back with a feeding mechanism connected to the guns, Burai that use a steel ball and chain built on the right arm as a weapon, and Burai that were built for high mobility. These were being transported to resistance groups all over the country.

* * *

**Commander's Office, North Point Airbase**

Orson was reading the newspapers and couldn't believe the publicity of it all. It was confounded! The public dares to speak about these unpatriotic ruffians as though they were supposed to be acknowledged! It was absurd! He forcefully shoved the paper in his desk.

_'This is absurd! Why would anyone give these bastards any publicity?! Their leader is the murderer of a prince! I don't care if he did some shady stuff! A prince is a prince! You knock one off of the tree and you start a storm that's going to end badly for you!'_ Orson thought, _'They aren't even patriots! They don't have any patriotism! What good is an army that doesn't have any patriots?!'_

It didn't matter to him anymore. He was a proud member of the Air Force! He could just have the Somersets finish these so-called Black Knights with ease! It's not like they have Knightmares of their own! All they had were stolen Sutherlands!

* * *

**Government Bureau, Tokyo Settlement**

A group of five Britannian men had gathered to see the Canterbury. Judging from their uniforms, they were a former tank crew. The commander of the crew was formed tank commander Brigadier General Reginald Om. He wore red goggles over his eyes. The man was dark skinned. He had a beard of white hair. He also had white hair on the top of his head. It was short. He was wearing his hat that he gotten as an officer. The Canterbury was assigned to him. He was to take command of the Canterbury by the order of the top brass in Area 11. It was a Knightmare Frame that needed to be manned by five people at a time. From what Om heard, the cannon was powerful enough to blast through the wall of a fortress.

_'So this is the weapon that the Knight of Nine brought here...'_ Om thought, _'Impressive. No one has ever made something like this before. I can't wait to see what it can do.'_

* * *

**Elsewhere in the Settlement**

Cornelia was meeting with Euphemia and Nonette by the train tracks and warehouses where Sutherlands were being transported.

"The EU has launched an offensive at the El Alamein Front." Cornelia informed the two, "We can't be held up here in Area 11."

"Yes, that is one problem with only one solution." Nonette said.

"Yes, Area 11 needs to be made into a satellite state. But in order to do that, we need to be rid of terrorism and solidify our domestic affairs as quickly as possible." Cornelia said, "Terrorism isn't the only thing that's got me worried."

"It's Refrain, isn't it?" Nonette asked, "Makes anyone want to relive moments of the past. Keeps popping up left and right from what I heard."

"Yes. The Chinese Federation are using the Kyushu route to transport this vile substance over to Area 11. We've got to stop it there." Cornelia said.

"And what if it's not just being transported via the Kyushu route?" A voice asked.

Nonette turned to see Durandal, "The Red Comet, I never thought you were the kind to eavesdrop."

"Sorry, I couldn't help but over here." Durandal said looking smug.

"Watch it Durandal, you weren't promoted to Major just for being a good pilot." Cornelia said.

"Anyway, I don't think it's the outside route that I'm worried about. It's also about the inside." Durandal said.

"Are you saying that it's possible that it's being produced here?" Euphemia asked.

"It's a possibility." Durandal said, "By the way, what of the Black Knights? They are certainly getting popular around here."

"Yes, which is why I kept telling Nelly to go and deal with them now. But instead, she insists that it'll be ok to let them be." Nonette said, "It's making me worry."

"They are only group made up of two groups of terrorists joining together. They can't possibly fight us head on." Cornelia said.

"Oh yes, surely. But they already got the attention of the whole world. That alone warrants their destruction." Nonette said, "Not to mention the possibility that they could absorb the JLF. We can't have that, now can we?"

"You worry too much." Cornelia said, "There hasn't been any sort of report or rumor suggesting that."

"Which is why I'm saying it could be possible." Nonette said, "I mean, yeah, they saved Euphie and several public officials and civilians, but if we let them off for too long, they'll be out of our hands and your father may as well send more Knights of the Round."

"What, you don't think that my father sending you is enough?" Cornelia asked.

"It won't be enough if the Black Knights cause a downward spiral on Area 11." Nonette said.

"Ladies, ladies, lets not fight." Durandal said, "It's true he saved Euphemia, but it's least she could do."

Nonette looked worried. Cornelia laid a hand on her.

"It's alright, when I come back, we'll crush them together." Cornelia said.

"Alright, but if you die on me, I'll be real upset with you if I end up in the afterlife after you." Nonette said before laughing, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go test the Gloucester Final Type."

She left the two. Cornelia looked at Euphemia with gentleness in her eyes.

"Euphie, once I finish up here, Area 11 will be under your care." Cornelia said, "I'm entrusting you with it."

Euphemia looked at her sister with kindness. She thought back on the boy and what happened in Lake Kawaguchi.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Kallen was exhausted as she walked in the halls.

"God... living two lives is hard." Kallen said.

"Well it can't be all that bad." Rei said.

"Easy for you to say." Kallen said.

"Let me go!" A voice yelled.

"Huh?"

"It's coming from the student council room, so that means..." Kallen said.

The two enter the room to see Lelouch tied to a chair along with Rai. The rest of the student council was wearing various cat costumes.

"Come on guys! You cannot be serious right now!" Rai said, "Get me out of this thing!"

"Exactly! Let me out!" Lelouch said.

The two poor boys had make up and cat ears on them.

"What's going on in here?" Rei asked.

"They're trying to turn us into cats! And I do t wanna be a cat!" Rai said.

"Come on Rai, it's the president's orders." Suzaku said.

"Dang it man! I thought we were best buds!" Rai said, "How could you do this to me?!"

"Please Suzaku, think about this... you don't have to do this..." Lelouch said.

"Now now Lelouch, the faster I do this, the sooner I'll let you go." Suzaku said.

"I officially hate you now!" Lelouch said.

"You don't mean that at all, do you?" Suzaku asked as tears were coming from his eyes.

"Oh come on Lelouch, now you made the poor kitty cry." Rivalz said, "We're just trying to have fun here."

"You call this fun? I'd call torture fun if I were mentally ill!" Lelouch said.

Nina turned to see Rei. She blushed and waved at him.

"Hey~." Nina said.

"Nina? Are you ok?" Rei asked, "Also why are you blushing."

"Good Meowing you two!" Milly said.

"Uh... why is everyone—?"

He heard a meow. It was Arthur in his new home.

"Oh... I get it." Rei said.

"Exactly! This is his welcoming party! We gotta make Arthur feel welcomed!" Rivalz said.

"Arthur? That's his name?" Rei asked.

"Yeah, Eu— I mean I named him that." Suzaku said.

"Seems fun!" Rei said, "Let me in on it!"

"Aren't you going to help us?!" Rai and Lelouch exclaimed.

"Come on! It'll be a hit!" Rivalz said, "Speaking of hit, how does it feel to be popular on television?"

"It was terrible..." Milly said.

"Huh?!" Rivalz asked.

"We've been hounded by the media in almost every place we went..." Shirley said.

"We couldn't even get off school grounds..." Nina said.

"And you Rei?" Rivalz asked.

"Well... I had lots of cameras on me." Rei said.

"And to think his cuteness made him more popular than the me!" Milly said with a vexing tone.

"So then why can't we leave then?" Rivalz asked.

"Because of friendship!" Milly said, "As the saying goes, 'we are not born on the same year, month, and day, but we hope that together, we die as one on the same year, month, and day'."

"Romance of the Three Kingdoms?" Rivalz asked.

"That's right." Milly said.

"A marriage proposal?" Kallen asked.

"No. We just all die together~!" Milly said as she smiled like a Cheshire cat as she waved her paw.

"THAT IS INCREDIBLY MESSED UP!" Rai exclaimed.

"Yeah, that is just mean of you Milly." Rivalz said.

He turned to Suzaku, "Right Suzaku?"

Suzaku was tearing up with a smile on his face.

"Are you seriously crying right now?" Rai asked as he was in tears, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Nothings wrong..." Suzaku said, "I'm just glad we can be together like this..."

"Somebody just get me outta here..." Rai said.

Rei felt so happy as this all went on. He remembered how the Black Knights were like family to him. In a sense, the Student Council reminded him of that family.

* * *

**_Later..._**

Kallen was leaving the school grounds. As she did, Naoto just so happened to be there.

"Naoto? What are you doing here?" Kallen asked.

"Well, I managed to squeeze some free time in." Naoto said, "So? Wanna go for a walk?"

* * *

**Elsewhere in the Tokyo Settlement**

The two siblings were walking around in the Tokyo Settlement. Naoto asked Kallen on how school was going, especially in the Student Council. She told him that her time there was most pleasant, especially with the Student Council. He asked of Rei and she said that he was really happy there with the Student Council. As they walked, they heard of commotion about the Black Knights. Naoto remembered seeing a group of construction workers watching a man doing an impression of Zero once. There were wanted posters of Zero saying 'wanted dead or alive' with a high bounty on it. They soon walked into a park where they saw a few kids running around pretending to be Zero with capes. It was amusing to see hope in the Japanese once again. Even so, it was only the beginning. It was a small beginning to what was to come of in the future. Yes, a revolution against Britannia that will shock the world.

* * *

Rei was in the park with Lalah, Sayoko, and Nunnally. They were watching as the kids were running around. Rei thought back on his past. It brought peace in his mind to see people smiling out of happiness.

"You know, Zero can't be all that bad." Rei said, "At least... at least the Japanese have hope in them."

"That is true, to have hope is a good thing." Lalah said, "Even if Britannia sees his actions as unforgivable, the one thing people need is hope."

"I guess so." Nunnally said, "What Clovis did in Shinjuku was wrong, but what Zero did was also wrong. Nonetheless, I just want people to have hope in them. The crimes of Clovis and Zero were terrible, but for me to forgive them is a personal matter."

"Nunnally..." Rei and Lalah said.

"Mistress Nunnally..." Sayoko said.

_'Would she hate me if I told I was in the Black Knights?'_ Rei thought, _'What would she think of me if I told her that I am the White Jack?'_

Nunnally sensed doubt in Rei and faced him, "Rei, is something wrong?"

"O-Oh! Sorry, I was just... I was just thinking..." Rei said.

Lalah could feel his doubt. She couldn't help but feel doubt in herself as well.

_'Durandal...'_ Lalah thought.

"Stop it," a woman suddenly said, "Stop this Black Knights nonsense right now."

The siblings and the four were surprised to see the woman admonishing her son who had a black cape.

"Huh? But why?" The boy asked.

"We can't say anything bad about Britannia." The woman said, "We're Elevens after all. You can't forget that."

Naoto sighed, "Guess it can't be helped."

"I guess so. It's good to see the Japanese have hope at least." Kallen said.

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Kallen said, "Zero is making a difference."

"Yeah, too bad it doesn't matter to some people." Naoto said, _'Everyone, even the people in our own ranks wants to know who Zero is. I can't blame Ohgi either. But even so, I don't think it matters one bit. If his intentions are for the betterment of the Japanese, I'm putting my trust in him.'_

* * *

As the four watched as the boy went on about how cool the Black Knights are, Rei thought about his mother.

_'Mom... if you were still alive, would things be different?'_ Rei thought.

Rei's hand tightened around Nunnally's.

"Rei, is something the matter?" Nunnally asked.

'Should I tell her about my family?' Rei contemplated, "You see... my family... they... I don't know how to put this, but my mother, she was... different from regular people."

"Huh? Different?" Nunnally asked.

"Y-Yeah..." Rei said, "She was... special. I... I don't know how to put this, but I... I'm... an Overman."

"Overman?" Nunnally asked.

"It's hard to explain, but think of it as being a human being that has abilities that surpass regular humans." Lalah said, "I myself am one, but he and I are... on a different level."

"Oh! So then you can tell if a person is lying by touching their hands?" Nunnally asked, "I could do it, so does that make me—"

"I guess so. Overman can sense the presence of other Overmen when they feel pressure coming from one another." Lalah said, "I can sense pressure coming from you, but it's faint."

"Faint?" Nunnally asked.

"I can tell that you might become a strong Overman at some point as you live. But right now, your Overman abilities have yet to fully awaken." Lalah said.

"So then how are you two different from each other?" Nunnally asked.

"Well... I don't know, but I can feel the difference between us." Rei said, "I'm not sure how to put into context though."

"Hm... let's see... I guess the weight of the pressure would do it." Lalah said, "Rei's pressure has more heft than mine does."

Rei could feel pressure coming from two directions. One was gentle, but the other one was... an image flew to his head as he felt it.

_'That's—!'_

It looked like Durandal! This was Durandal's pressure! He looked to where it felt the strongest and saw a tall blonde haired man with sunglasses looking at him.

_'Is it him?!'_ Rei thought, _'Yes! It is! It's Durandal!'_

He looked to the other direction to where the peaceful pressure was, there he saw a familiar face looking at him.

_'Euphemia?'_ Rei thought, _'She's an Overman too? But her pressure... it's faint.'_

"Lalah, are classes over already?" The man with the sunglasses said as he came out.

"O-Oh! Char!" Lalah said, "I'm sorry Nunnally, I have to go."

"It's ok, we enjoyed ourselves enough already, didn't we?" Nunnally asked with a cheerful smile.

Rei looked at the man Lalah called Char. Lalah went over to the man.

"Classes are over already?" The man asked.

"Yes." Lalah said.

"Mistress, it's time." Sayoko said.

"Already?" Nunnally asked.

"Yes." Sayoko said.

"Hmm..." Nunnally said as she thought to herself, "Rei, could you lend me an ear?"

"Huh? Ok then." Rei said as he bent over to her.

She kissed him on the cheek. Rei stutters before he tripped and fell. Euphemia, who was watching, was trying to contain the laughter within her.

"Oh! Sorry! I—!"

"N-no no. It's ok."

"Let me—"

"I'm fine. I'm fine."

Rei got back up, "Well then, I guess you're leaving now."

"Yes. Master Lelouch wouldn't like it if Nunnally came back late." Sayoko said.

Sayoko took the wheelchair and left with Nunnally. The man called Char went over to him. As soon as Sayoko and Nunnally we're far enough from them, Rei looked at the man with a grudge.

"What do you want Durandal?" Rei asked.

"Oh! You still recognize me, little rabbit?" Durandal asked.

"Stop calling me that." Rei said, "First of all, I am not a bunny rabbit, and I'm not a little kid."

"You are if you're not my height." Durandal said, "And Besides, you're fast and innocent, much like a rabbit."

"I've lost that innocence because of the war." Rei said, "Don't you dare call me innocent after what happened to my family."

"Still angry that you lost in Saitama I see." Durandal said, "Tell me, does the rabbit thirst for victory?"

"I don't need victory. All I want is to put an end to a corrupt system that only makes lives terrible for those who are beneath Britannia." Rei said, "You're just in the way of that."

"Oh? And what if you do bring an end to it, what then?" Durandal asked, "Have you bothered asking yourself whether or not changing or destroying the system from the outside was worth it? After you've spilled enough blood, would it be worth it?"

"Are you saying it's an empty cause?!" Rei asked.

"No... I'm merely trying to get a point across." Durandal said as he took off his sunglasses, "That point being how effective the system was at holding the peace here."

_'His face—!'_

This was the face of Durandal. His blue eyes gazed into Rei's soul. He felt the pressure getting heavier.

"Do you feel it? Do you feel the weight of my presence?" Durandal asked, "It's not as significantly yours is. Your power has been getting stronger since you've finally awoken. Even though you have been getting stronger, I too have been getting stronger."

_'His pressure—! It's increasing? Wait, is he trying to intimidate me by making me think I'm lower than him?!'_ Rei thought.

Durandal felt the pressure coming from Rei to be increasing.

"My my, you seem provoked." Durandal said, _'Now I can finally weigh out the difference between us.'_

Euphemia saw a red aura surrounding Durandal and a white aura surrounding Rei.

_'What's going on between them?'_ Euphemia thought.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

VV watched from above.

"Are they having one of those measuring contests right now?" VV asked, "Kids these days. They don't even know how strong an Immortal is. Compared to them, they got nothing on Immortals such as me and CC. Speaking of which, maybe I should have someone find her. Maybe that will move things along."

He thought about it but then remembered something.

"Oh yeah, that's right, I don't know where she is. Oh..." VV said, "Oh well, I'll just wait then."

* * *

**Park**

The two males kept measuring each other. Durandal was surprised, the boy's pressure was more significant than his.

"Tell me, when were you this strong?" Rei asked.

"It was thanks to you back in Saitama." Durandal said, "You helped me resume my growth as an Overman. I knew there was a reason why my Overman abilities stopped developing."

"Stopped developing?" Rei asked.

"Yes, 7 years ago, my abilities just stopped developing after my last battle. I wondered why that happened. But then I realized something, after our duel, my abilities began to climb again." Durandal said, "I needed something to force my abilities to improve and grow. You were the trigger."

"The trigger?" Rei asked.

"Exactly, you were the trigger to force my abilities to grow once again! Though you have a head start, my abilities as a pilot still match yours. Only until we are on a truly even playing field can we really see what we can do when fighting at full strength!" Durandal said, "Until then—!"

The pressure and the aura faded as Durandal puts his shades on, "Get stronger. Defeating you on the same conditions of Shinjuku and Saitama for a third time will have no meaning."

Rei's aura and pressure faded.

"Heal your wounds Rei." Durandal said, "When we meet on Narita, we'll settle the matter."

Durandal turned and left, leaving Rei in a state of confusion.

_'Narita? Why there?'_ Rei thought.

Durandal walked away looking smug, 'I thank you little rabbit. I really do thank you. You better not disappoint me at Narita.'

He grinned, 'On Narita, we end it there!'


	17. Chapter 16: Refrain

**Chapter 16: Refrain**

**Shopping District**

Naoto and Kallen were walking around in the shopping district of the Settlement.

"How nostalgic, walking around Tokyo on a warm day like this. And you used to be so little." Naoto said, "Man, I wish you went back to being a little mouse."

"What? Because I'm catching up to you?" Kallen asked.

"That's not it chief." Naoto said with a bit of crossed look on his face, "It's because apparently you have a body that all the boys want."

"H-Hey!" Kallen said as her face turned red, "I can't help it! It's puberty!"

"Yeah, so? If I end up waking up to the day where you have a boyfriend with you not telling me of said boyfriend, there's the possibility that I might have to get rough on him for reasons I think you already know." Naoto said.

"Ugh! Why do you have to be so overprotective?!" Kallen said.

"Because first of all, you are my sister. Second of all, I am your brother. Third, I care for you. Seriously, I do. And lastly—"

"I get it... I get it." Kallen said.

She saw Lelouch who was standing under a tree.

_'Lelouch? What's he doing here?'_ Kallen thought.

"Let me guess... boyfriend?" Naoto asked.

Kallen's face turned redder than her own hair.

"No! What made you think he and I— I mean—! Ugh! You are the worst!" Kallen said, "We're just friends!"

Naoto's phone was ringing. He checked to see it was Ohgi. He answered it and held it to his ear.

"Yes?" Naoto asked.

"Well Naoto, it seems Zero has our next target." Ohgi said, "Apparently, were going after a drug called Refrain."

"Refrain?" Naoto asked.

"Yeah, heard it makes you go back into the past." Ohgi said.

"And of course, who wouldn't want to relive the days before the war ever happened?" Naoto said, "The Japanese make perfect targets to get a profit off the stuff."

"And Zero managed to home in on the source. It's coming from one of the warehouses by the docks." Ohgi said.

"And Rei's been informed? Right?" Naoto asked.

"Yeah, I already filled him in." Ohgi said, "We move in at night once the Burais are stocked."

"Got it." Naoto said before hanging up.

He looked to see Kallen slipped right from under him and was over to where Lelouch is.

"I freaking called it..." Naoto said as he went over there."

"I see... then—"

Lelouch suddenly felt a threatening presence slowly coming towards him. He quickly saw Naoto walking over him. He could feel the menacing aura coming off Naoto.

"So tell me, are you just friends with Kallen or is there something between you two that I think I need to know about?" Naoto asked with a faint neck crunch.

"Hold on, gimme a moment." Kallen said before turning to her brother, "We are **NOT** dating! He and I are just friends!"

"Just friends doesn't specify what kind." Naoto said.

He looked to Kallen, "Are you two just friends?"

"Why yes. Yes we are." Lelouch said as he looked calm.

Naoto looked at him with piercing eyes. He sighed.

"Alright, fine. I believe you." Naoto said.

"Jeez Naoto, you can be so overprotective!" Kallen said.

"Hey! It's not my fault!" Naoto said.

"I'm guessing you're her brother." Lelouch said, "The name's Lelouch Lamperouge."

"Naoto Stadtfeld... pleasure to make you're acquaintance." Naoto said, _'So this is Lelouch Lamperouge... the guy Nagata spoke of... he looks like shrimp, but something tells me otherwise.'_

As Lelouch looked at him he thought much on Naoto's skills. It was obvious that he was a good strategist and tactician. If he were to have a chess match with Naoto, he'd have to watch out for anything sneaky he might pull. He was incredibly witty and a master trickster who could fool anyone into his tricks. Naoto's mind was the greatest asset he had. Naoto would psych his opponents out by provoking them to unnerve them and predict their words, thoughts, or actions. He was also one to read a person through observation. He was also one to exploit a person's flaws, using overconfidence against them. If anything, the only real danger about Naoto is his incredible wit and trickery. Even if his piloting skills showed the prowess of an ace, albeit not as close to Kallen's piloting skills, Naoto was a master trickster, a trickster who holds the ace of spades in his hands.

He then thought about Kallen. Her skills in a Knightmare Frame were comparable to that of Marianne the Flash, a Knightmare pilot that was fast as lightning and was so skilled, she not only got into the Knights of the Round, she was married to Charles zi Britannia. Not even Cornelia's Royal Guard could stand up to Red Queen who dominated the battlefield. She was also resourceful in battle, using the first mistakes her enemy makes on the battlefield to her advantage. Even outside of a Knightmare Frame, she was excellent in hand to hand combat. Unlike her brother though, he was a true trickster, a man with the ace of spades, she wasn't as much of a trickster as he is.

The two siblings make up for their weaknesses with their own strength. Kallen's battle prowess and Knightmare piloting skills and Naoto's trickery and strategy, these two were essential in the Black Knights. He would have to hold onto them tightly.

"Come on! Say something!" A voice yelled.

The trio turned to see a group of five Britannian punks kicking an honorary Britannian. Judging from the clothes, he was a vendor for a hotdog stand. Kallen frowned. Lelouch held her back.

"Now now, think about this." Lelouch said, "He's an Honorary Britannian. He chose to live out his life like this."

"I know that, but still—!"

"No, he's right. We interfere in this and he'll never be able to sell hotdogs here ever again." Naoto said, "Some people chose to be Honorary Britannians for some good reasons. They chose this in order to survive in this world where survival matters the most in life or death. Some even did it for their families."

"Even so..."

"It's not our place to interfere."

The Britannian punks were done with the Eleven and walked up to the trio looking smug.

"What? Do you feel sorry for him?" The lead punk asked.

"Yeah, you look like those kinds of people who sympathize with trash like him." The second punk said.

"No sir, not really." Lelouch said as he closed his left eye before switching his Geass on.

He opened it, **"Don't you think beating up Elevens is getting boring for you?"**

The red beam of light split into five different beams aimed at the eyes of the punks. The beams entered their eyes and traveled through the nerves connecting their eyes to their brains. The punks had red rings in their eyes. Naoto was quick to pick up on the red glowing rings.

"Yeah... to be honest, it's getting old."

"Let's just hit the arcade."

"Good idea, that place is always fun."

"Yeah, sure beats whatever the hell else we got planned."

"Here here."

The punks walked away without a care.

'Red rings around their eyes... they were glowing... not only that, they didn't put up a fuss with what he said. They just went along with it, almost as if...' he turned to Lelouch, '... as if he had hypnotized them.'

Kallen looked absolutely confused by what happened. Those punks walked away as if they didn't care. She looked to Lelouch.

"How did you—?"

"Mere reasoning." Lelouch said, "Where's the fun in beating someone who's defenseless?"

He left. Naoto thought about everything that had happened here. He shook his head and left it alone.

* * *

**_Later that day..._**

**Stadtfeld Mansion**

"Mistress Kallen," The Japanese maid called, "Mistress Kallen."

Kallen got out of her room to see the maid.

"You have a guest." The maid said.

"I'll be right there." Kallen said.

The maid opened the doors Kallen came down stairs to have Milly come in."

"Madame President? What brings you here?" Kallen asked.

"I'd thought I'd give you something." Milly said.

"Should I show her to the guest room?" The maid asked.

"No, my room will do." Kallen said while subtlety glaring strongly at the maid.

"Ah, yes, of course." The maid said.

"Oh?" The voice of a woman spoke.

The three turned to see a middle-aged woman with a long purple dress, blonde hair, and blue eyes.

"Huh, I thought it would be a boy." The woman said, "Hmph! Seeing as how you leave at night and come home by morning, I was sure you had picked up a boy. I guess not. At least that worthless brother of yours isn't here."

The maid flinched and had a sad expression on her face. Kallen looked angry from hearing the woman insult your brother.

"Well you can't bear any children given your condition, or did you forget?" Kallen asked.

The woman felt insulted and tried to find the words for a retort.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself while your father is in the homeland, allowing you to do whatever you damn well please!" The woman said before glaring at the maid, "No fighting one's blood, is there?"

The maid flinched and stepped off to the side. Kallen glared at the woman.

"You really are glad Dad isn't here." Kallen said, "I'm sure he'd like to hear about all you seem to be bringing another man into the house every single night."

The woman glared back. Milly raised a brow from the tension in the house. The tension was interrupted by the sound of something shattering. Everyone's attention was focused on the vase that was shattered. The maid just so happened to be standing over it.

"My apologies, I'll clean this mess up." The maid said.

The woman turned around and muttered to herself as she went upstairs.

* * *

**Kallen's Room**

Kallen and Milly were in her room.

"You have quite the complicated family." Milly said.

"I know." Kallen said, "So what exactly was it that you wanted to give me?"

"Well... let me just..."

Milly searched her pockets and found something in her breast pocket.

"Ah! There it is!" Milly said as she pulled out a blue envelope, "My grandfather thought it would be best to give it to you while you were off school grounds and away from prying eyes."

"The Principal?" Kallen asked.

She looked at the envelope and quickly connected the dots. She looked surprised and quickly knew what it meant.

"I see, so the cats' out of the bag that I'm half-Eleven and half-Britannian." Kallen said, "The old hag was my stepmother. The clumsy maid that broke the vase was my real mother."

"And your brother?" Milly asked.

"His name is Naoto." Kallen said, "He left the house out of disgust of our dad. He wanted mom to leave, but she refused so stubbornly."

"I see..." Milly said.

"Ever since then, all she's been was a dimwit of a maid." Kallen said, "I still don't get why she choose to stay in that house. Even after he left her, she still clings onto him."

Milly thought about it, "Do you and your brother hate her?"

"No... at least he doesn't. I just find her... depressing." Kallen said.

"You know, it's best to let things pile up, especially in your situation." Milly said, "Problems on their own are easy to over come. But if they pile up, they'll break you."

"I... I see..." Kallen said.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The Japanese maid was searching endlessly for something in her room, but she couldn't find whatever it was that she was looking for.

"Looking for this?" A voice said.

The maid turned to see Naoto holding a box that had vials and a special injector. The window was open. He had a lighter with him.

"I know how you feel mom, but I can't let you destroy yourself with this stuff." Naoto said, "The old man wouldn't want to see you like this."

"N-Naoto?" The maid asked.

He lit the lighter and set the box on fire and threw it out the window. The vials broke along with the injector as the fire burned the liquids.

"You can't walk into the past. The past won't do you any good as much as the present." Naoto said, "Besides, I think you need to repaint these walls, seriously."

"Naoto... please... come back." The maid said.

"Sorry mom, I wish I could, but unfortunately, I now walk a different path." Naoto said.

He left out through the window and dived into the bushes. She could only look at the flames in which the chemicals burned in.

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

Lelouch was reading a magazine while Suzaku was moving things out in boxes.

"You really didn't have to get so emotional." Lelouch said.

"Hey, I was being honest and sentimental, there's nothing wrong with that." Suzaku said before he felt his hand being bitten by Arthur, "I'm just glad that they're alright."

"Well if it wasn't for Zero and the Black Knights, they wouldn't have been rescued." Lelouch said, "That's all I have to say."

Suzaku freed his bitten hand and simply had a thought.

"You know... if they wanted to catch criminals, why couldn't they just join the police?" Suzaku asked, "I don't understand why they wouldn't."

"Just like why Britannia could have just been peaceful instead of conquering other countries?" Lelouch retorted.

Suzaku looked surprised when he heard that.

"When did that idea pop into your head?" Suzaku asked.

"Well, Rei is like you, only it's the other way around." Lelouch said, "He thinks Britannia's methods are wrong, just how you apparently see that Zero's methods are wrong."

Suzaku looked with concern, "Should I be worried about that?"

"Huh? No, why?" Lelouch asked.

"Because if that were the case, he'd be with the Black Knights by now." Suzaku said.

_'Oh, if only you knew that beforehand.'_ Lelouch thought, "I'm sure he wouldn't. He just wished Britannia used more peaceful methods as opposed to conquering several countries."

Suzaku was going to make a retort on that but gave it some thought.

"Ok, I guess he is right about that at least. I mean... wait a minute, are you trying to bait me into saying something negative about Britannia?" Suzaku asked.

"Guilty as charged." Lelouch said.

"Of course. Why wouldn't you make me do that?" Suzaku said.

"Because the police are literally being outdone by a group led by a masked man." Lelouch said.

Suzaku looked at Lelouch, "Look, the police may not be as effective, but at least they could invoke a change from within."

"And Rei would counter that argument by saying that the Emperor would just gut it the second it is even attempted." Lelouch said, "That and all the red tape of bureaucracy and all the hindrances pinning them down and all that stuff."

"Well if they had done things to cause change, that may cut it." Suzaku said, "But as long as they don't, it's all just self-righteous postering."

"Self-righteous you say?" Lelouch said.

"What constitutes evil in their eyes? What standards are they using? It's all just self-satisfying gratification." Suzaku said.

Shirley entered the room and saw the two.

"Oh, it's just you two?" Shirley said.

"Oh well, I guess I should leave now." Suzaku said, "Gotta head back to base."

"Sure, sir Lancelot." Lelouch said.

Suzaku suddenly stopped as he was about to leave. He looked back at Lelouch, who was subtly glaring at him. Suzaku felt tension from Lelouch. Behind that tension though was a profoundly subtle demonic presence. Almost as if—

"Uh... Suzaku?" Shirley asked, snapping him out of his trance.

"Whoops! My bad! Kinda spaced out there! Don't mind me!" Suzaku said as he left the room.

Lelouch still glared at Suzaku, sensing his true feelings beneath that facade he was showing.

_'Your facade will not beguile me Suzaku, I am no fool.'_ Lelouch thought, _'You are my enemy. I don't want to kill you, but neither can I allow you to interfere anymore than you've already had. Even getting you to join me has become impossible.'_

He looked to Shirley. She looked flustered.

"So uh... Lulu... I was wondering—"

"If you're asking me out, I'll consider it." Lelouch said as he puts the magazine down and left the room.

Shirley was left alone. Her face turned red. Lelouch quickly felt a hefty pressure slap him on the back.

'The devil was that?!' Lelouch thought, 'It felt real alright, but why was it so sudden as soon as I left?'

He shook it off and kept walking.

* * *

_**Night**_

**Docks**

The Black Knights had gathered by the docks where the target warehouse was.

"Ok, remind me why we're doing this again?" Tamaki asked.

"Hey, it's not like the police are doing a good job here." Ohgi said.

"I know that! But weren't we supposed to be at war with Britannia or something?" Tamaki asked, "All we're doing is basically what the police should be doing!"

"Yes, but now isn't the time." Ohgi said.

"Yeah, and the police aren't even doing a good job." Sugiyama said.

There was the signal.

"Huh, he's as good as Naoto when it comes to doing the literal impossible." Ohgi said.

"Seriously, how many tricks does the guy have aside from the obvious katana?" Yoshida asked.

* * *

**_Later..._**

**Warehouse**

Boxes of Refrain were being checked and moved in preparation for the next shipment. Suddenly the gates were ripped to shreds, creating a hole. The broken piece of metal fell down to reveal the Black Knights. It then became a shoot-out. The Black Knights were winning the shoot-out. Three Burai smashed right through.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Knightmares?!"

The group dispersed as the three Burai shot up the place.

'One Knightmare feels like an army.' Kallen thought.

The gate on the back end of the warehouse was closing. The three Burai smash through it and activated their factspheres. They changed to night vision mode and saw Elevens who were under the effects of Refrain.

'So this is what Refrain is like.' Rei thought.

"Japan! Japan! Japan!"

"I'm getting married!"

"Yes! I'm getting promoted!"

'These poor people... can they even just move on?' Naoto thought.

"I'm studying abroad! I can't believe I got in!" The hot dog vendor said.

'Of course the hot dog vendor would use Refrain. Why wouldn't he?' Naoto thought.

Kallen saw the maid from the mansion walking around under the effects of Refrain.

"It's ok... there's no need to run so fast." The maid said before she tripped.

Kallen quickly caught her. She looked at her with disgust in the sight of her condition.

"You know Kallen, I think I should have just told you this sooner—"

"You can tell me after all of this is over." Kallen said.

"No, I insist because it's about mom." Naoto said, "I know now isn't the time, but—"

Rei immediately pushed the siblings out of the way as gun fire was coming at them. Naoto looked to see three LE-E106 Knightpolice units, Glasgows customized for use for the Britannian Police.

"Knightpolice! So as so thought, they were bought!" Naoto said.

The three split up as the Knightpolice did just the same. Rei was dodging bullets from a Knightpolice that had brought out a machine pistol. He fired a slash harken to knock the machine pistol out of its hand and fired his assault rifle at it. The Knightpolice was shot to hell and exploded.

* * *

While Naoto and Kallen were dealing with the remaining Knightpolice, Zero and the others watched the whole thing.

"Are you kidding me? What are the police doing here?" Ohgi asked.

"Corrupted filth is what they are." Zero said.

* * *

Kallen lost an arm while she was running from the Knightpolice that was on her tail. Naoto stabbed the Knightpolice that was onto him with a tonfa, killing the pilot. He and Rei rushed over to Kallen.

"I... I don't need you!" Kallen said as she was about to discard the maid.

"Kallen Oneechan, don't do it!" Rei exclaimed.

The Knightpolice shot out the Burai's balancers, causing it to fall and drops the maid. The woman got up and looked at the red Burai. The Knightpolice was out of ammo and instead pulled an anti-Knightmare knife out.

"Why the hell wont you run?!" Kallen exclaimed.

"Kallen."

The maid reached for the Burai, "I'll always be there for you, Kallen."

A realization struck Kallen like a wrecking ball.

'So that's why she... after all the... oh... mother...' Kallen thought, "I... I'm a fool."

Rei quickly fired the grenade launcher at the Knightpolice. The Knightpolice's head was blasted off. Naoto finished it with a burst of bullets. The two Burai stop by the red Burai. Naoto and Rei got out of the cockpit. Kallen got out as well and rushed over to the maid. She hugged her as tears were coming from her eyes.

"Mother..." Kallen said, "I'm so sorry... I... I never knew..."

'Kallen Oneechan's mom?' Rei thought, 'Kallen Oneechan...'

"I'm sorry. I wish I told you sooner." Naoto said, "She wanted to look after you. She wanted to make sure that you were safe."

The maid soon got out of her state of Refrain and saw Naoto looking at her.

"N-Naoto? Wait, where—?"

"Mother... I... I..."

The maid suddenly noticed Kallen who was hugging her.

"Oh Kallen sweetie... I..."

"I know... I know... I... I..."

"Oh it's ok sweetie. It's ok..."

Naoto looked to Rei, who looked saddened.

"You're still wishing your mother was alive right now, aren't you?" Naoto asked.

"I guess so." Rei said.

He felt a presence that was very powerful. He looked up to see CC.

"A false tear hurts everyone around you, but a false smile hurts one on the inside." CC said to herself.

_'It's her...'_ Rei thought.

"We should probably get going, the authorities will be here any second." Zero said.

"Oh yeah! Right!" Naoto said, "Alright you misfits, we're done here!"

* * *

_**The very next day...**_

**Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo Settlement**

Kallen's mother was in a hospital bed, recovering from the effects of Refrain. Naoto and Kallen came to inform them of her court sentence.

"So that's it then?" Kallen's mother asked, "20 years in prison is all I'm getting?"

"That's what it looks like." Naoto said.

Rei was with Naoto and Kallen.

"Don't worry mom, we'll do our best." Kallen said as her tears flowed, "20 years from now, we'll make this world a better place."

Rei stepped out from between the two. Kallen's mother saw the little boy.

"Who's—?"

"I... me and Kallen found him wandering about in the Ghetto, so I thought of taking him in." Naoto said, "I thought of bringing him along to have him meet you."

"But where are his parents?" She asked.

"They... they died during the war, so he's..."

"Oh... oh dear..." Kallen's mother said as she looked to Rei, "Oh you poor thing."

Rei looked like he was about to cry. He hugged Kallen's mother who returned the hug.

"It's alright, Kallen and Naoto are going to take care of you." She said as she soothes the child.

Rei couldn't contain his sobbing as he thought about his own mother and father.

_'Mother... Father...'_ Rei thought, _'If you're watching me, guide me.'_

* * *

**Viceroy's Office, Government Bureau**

Cornelia was struck with awe as she looked at the results of an investigation conducted by Nonette.

"But how? How could this be?" Cornelia asked, "How could our own people do this?"

"Because you only think Elevens and other Numbers would do something like this." Nonette said, "The quicker you drop that belief, the better."

Cornelia was left in defeat. She felt betrayed by what she saw in this report. The police were in on the Refrain deal. It was a smack to the face. It was a smack to her own intellect. It was unforgivable.


	18. Chapter 17: Preparations

**Chapter 17: Preparations **

**Swimming Pool, Ashford Academy**

It was night over the swimming pool. Lelouch was on his computer, looking over a huge list of new members joining the Black Knights. While he was doing that, CC was in a swimsuit, floating in the water.

"My my, It seems the Black Knights are getting bigger and bigger by the day." CC said.

"Well the masses love a group of knights, don't they?" Lelouch asked, "The Black Knights are heroes to the people."

As he kept looking through the new members, he saw a distinct name on there.

**Diethard Reid**

"And what do you know, a Britannian who looks too confident to be a spy." Lelouch said.

"You trust him?" CC asked.

"Like I said, he's too confident." Lelouch said, "I've been teaching my apprentice some lessons from me."

"Like what?" CC asked, "Not boring chess matches, I presume."

"Ok, one of them was. He almost had me in a tie." Lelouch said.

"But you crushed him anyway." CC said.

"Well, he dragged it out, but yes, I did crush him." Lelouch said, "Nonetheless, his tactical skills are improving."

"That's good, you'd need him to be as smart as you." CC said.

"That's exactly the point." Lelouch said, "I won't ignore the possibility that something might happen and I need someone to take my place for me."

"I've been observing him like you asked." CC said.

"And?" Lelouch asked.

"He seems to be getting along with a few girls, including Nunnally." CC said.

He stopped.

"Nunnally?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, I can feel it. His heart has gets flustered when he thinks about her and that Indian girl as well." CC said, "It turns out that they're both Overmen."

"And what, Overmen of the opposite sex are attracted to one another?" Lelouch asked.

"No... not like that, but more like his bonds with everyone he meets keeps growing." CC said, "There's a slight chance that Nunnally or that Indian has made him flustered."

"If that's a joke, I'm not laughing." Lelouch said.

"Well it's not like you can stop him anyways. He's stronger than you as an Overman and his Geass would swat you like a fly." CC said.

"You really are the worst." Lelouch said.

"Oh shut up and go back to whatever it was you were doing." CC said.

* * *

_**The very next day...**_

The Lancelot and the Club were engaging in a practice exercise against the Gloucester Final Type, a Gloucester that has gone through some upgrades in performance to match that of Cornelia's Gloucester. Right now as things stand, the boys clearly understood that having a Knightmare that was 7th Generation doesn't mount to anything if the enemy is as good as the Knights of the Round, or in their case, the Knight of Nine herself. That Gloucester was not supposed to be moving that fast. It was a Gloucester. A 5th Generation Knightmare Frame. It's not supposed to do things like that, nonetheless it's doing just the very impossible.

The boys were panting as the Knight of Nine simply laughed.

"Come on boys! How are you supposed to move up if you can't keep up with me?" Nonette asked.

"Lady Nonette... can we rest? I feel tired." Rai said.

"And I keep telling you not to underestimate her... and you tell me that I don't listen to you." Suzaku said.

"Oh shut up." Rai said.

"Come on boys! Let's dance once more!" Nonette said.

The Gloucester readied it's sword while the two boys brought their MVSs out. The Gloucester charged at the two Lancelots and blocked their attack. She blocked with her shield and her sword, both made to withstand anything the MVSs could do. Nonette forced the Lancelot back with her shield and backed away from the Club. Rai fired his slash harkens at the Knight of Nine, who could only laugh at the move and reciprocate the attack. The slash harkens were stuck and the Knight of Nine came charging in. She bashed the Club with her shield and unstuck the harkens, allowing them to return to the Club. Suzaku whipped out the VARIS and fired. Nonette brings the shield up. It takes the hit and survives.

"Well, at least we know the shield is durable as hell." Rai said.

"Damn right it is." Nonette said, "Now come at thee! I'll show you how a true warrior fights!"

Suzaku puts the VARIS away and rushed at the Knight of Nine. She readied her shield. The Lancelot vanished from view. She was surprised to see it vanish into thin air. She chuckled. The Lancelot was behind, ready to decapitate her.

"Nice try, but that trick has failed many times!" Nonette said as she quickly spun with her sword.

She swings it, only for the Lancelot to jump over her and got behind her. He had the sword right up against the neck. The Club was quick to have the double spear against the Gloucester's neck.

"I guess the Knight of Nine has gotten old lately." Rai said.

"I'm sorry lady Nonette, but it's over." Suzaku said.

"Yeah, shows over milady." Rai said.

Nonette chuckled, "Oh boys, don't be silly now..."

Her shield latched onto her arm. She kicked the Club and smacked the Lancelot with the shield. She laughed once again.

"Nice try! But again, you lose for the uh... how many times was that?" Nonette asked.

"The 10th time..." Lloyd said, now looking depressed, "My poor Lancelot and Club... they got bested by a Gloucester..."

"She really is that good." Cecile said.

Rai slammed his fist on the console, "DAMNIT! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT AGAINST A POTENTIAL ENEMY ACE IF YOU CAN'T LISTEN TO ME FOR MORE THAN **10 SECONDS?!**"

"Me?! You never listened to me!" Suzaku said, "I told you to hang back and provide sniping cover, not rush at her with your MVS out!"

"Me?! I said we could attack her from both sides and we had her right there!" Rai said, "If you'd listened to me—!"

"If you'd listened to me—!"

"Are you saying this is—?!"

"Damn right I am!"

Nonette sighed as the two boys squabbled.

_'They're not gonna last two seconds if they don't get their act together and act as a team.'_ Nonette thought, _'I wonder how Om is doing with the Canterbury?'_

**Canterbury Testing Site**

The Canterbury was aimed at a G-1 that was being used as target practice.

"Voltage confirmed. Impact rail set, capacitors generating charge. Target range set: 500 meters, armor piercing round loaded!" The gunner said, "Correcting aim, 0.5 degrees to the right, 0.2 degrees down.

"No abnormalities in the Yggdrasil Drive. She's running smoothly." An engineer said.

"Yes sir, we are about to fire the cannon." A communications officer said said.

"Target is within firing range." A navigator said.

The sub-commander turned to Om, "We're ready to fire."

"Alright then." Om said as he tipped his hat, "Super Electromagnetic Railgun, Fire!"

"Firing!" The gunner said as he pulled the trigger.

The Canterbury shot out a green energy projectile from its cannon. The projectile slams into the G-1. The massive machine absorbed the recoil. The G-1 explodes from the tremendous amount of energy that hit it. The crew celebrates the success of the Canterbury. Om smiled.

"The Canterbury is a major success!" The communications officer said.

"Now if this bad boy were to be mass-produced, we could put an end to the enemies of Britannia in no time." Om said.

* * *

**Kyoto House**

The Six Houses have gathered for a meeting of utmost importance. As soon as everyone came in, the men looked to Kaguya, as she was the one who called it.

"So Lady Kaguya, what is it that is important to call a meeting like this?" Munakata asked.

"I've had a vision in my sleep." Kaguya said, "Narita... will be consumed in battle, and whoever wins at Narita will decide the fate of the entire resistance movement."

"Huh? A battle to decide the resistance movement?" Osakabe asked, "Wait, you mean the Britannians have figured out where the JLF's main base is?!"

"I'm afraid so." Kaguya said, "I do not know when the battle is to begin."

"Dear god..." Munakata said, "We must warm the Japan Liberation Front as soon as possible."

"But we don't know when it will happen." Kubouin said.

"Even so, we cannot lose them. We lose the Japan Liberation Front, the embers of Japan will be extinguished, this time, forever." Yoshino said.

"The Four Holy Swords are already on their way to collect the Burai Kai." Munakata said, "This is some awful timing indeed."

"We mustn't panic." Kaguya said, "If we find out when the attack will be, then we can warn them, and maybe get some resistance groups nearby to aid the JLF."

"Of course, if we can get some resistance groups to aid the JLF that might help." Osakabe said.

"But they alone will not be enough." Kaguya said.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Taizo asked, "Are you saying that we should have the Black Knights involved as well?"

"Yes, that is correct." Kaguya said, "If the Black Knights go to Narita, then maybe there is still a chance. A chance for the resistance movement to continue."

"But they killed Kusakabe! Why should we—?!"

"No, she might be onto something." Taizo said, "He is as tactically skilled as Todoh. If he's there, he should be a worthy substitute for him."

Osakabe breathed a sigh, "If you say so Kirihara."

"I'll have an agent go and tell the Black Knights and have any other of our agents tell any groups who can make it to Narita." Kubouin said.

"And what of the Guren Mk2 and the Byakuen?" Taizo asked.

"They'll arrive on schedule." Munakata said.

"Good." Taizo said, "This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

**Student Council Building, Ashford Academy**

Rei went to see Nunnally again. As he approached her room, he felt his heart thumping in his chest. He felt nervous. He breathed in and out as he went to her room. He suddenly bumped into Nina, who looked flustered.

"Oh! Uh... um... uh... hi~." Nina said as her cheeks flushed.

"Oh! Hi Nina, I was just going to meet Nunnally—"

"He quickly saw Nina smiling with her cheeks flushed.

"Why are your cheeks blushing?" Rei asked.

"Oh I just wanted to say... uh... thank you." Nina said.

"Huh?" Rei asked, "For what?"

"For saving me in that hotel jacking." Nina said.

"Saving you?" Rei asked.

He quickly remembered what happened in the storage room.

"No... you shouldn't." Rei said.

"But why?" Nina asked with confusion.

"Because that power was dangerous. It could have hurt you!" Rei said.

"But it didn't." Nina said.

"And it still could." Rei said, "I don't know why, but whenever I used it, I felt it getting stronger and stronger the more I used it."

"But I don't see why it would be that big of a deal." Nina said.

"Because I'm afraid Nina." Rei said, "I'm afraid that I could... that I could kill you."

Nina looked sad upon hearing his concern, "I... I know a lot about the supernatural, I done a lot of research into it. I'm sure that if you're in control of it, then it won't—"

"In it's current state, it won't. But if it becomes too strong for me to control it? That's a different story entirely." Rei said, "I already lost my parents, I don't want to lose you or anyone I care about."

Nina looked sad, "Rei..."

She hugged the poor boy, "It's ok... it's ok. You're not alone, you have everyone else. I'm sure you'll have a new—"

"Just stop it Nina. Just stop." Rei said, "It's best you forget about what happened in the hotel and it's best that you let it go."

Nina looked even more sad. She released the boy and let him walk past her. She got to thank him, only for him to tell her to forget what happened. It made her heart ache for answers. She felt that there were things that he wasn't telling her. She felt so lost.

* * *

Rei went to Nunnally's room and opened the door to see Lelouch and Nunnally in the room.

"Lelouch? What are you doing here?" Rei asked.

Lelouch hid his anger in his mind and looked happy, though it was difficult seeing as how Rei was supposed to succeed him and protect Nunnally, not starting a relationship with her.

"Well Nunnally is a lot more happy than usual." Lelouch said in a cheery voice, _'I don't like you hanging out with Nunnally. You are becoming an influence on her.'_

"Well, I am keeping her company after all." Rei said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That is true big brother, he has been keeping me company. We even went out to the park once." Nunnally said.

Lelouch's brows twitched on hearing that last part.

"Really now?" Lelouch asked, "I guess you must have had a good time with him there."

Rei was beginning to feel a demonic presence coming from Lelouch.

"That's true big brother. We were enjoying the scenery." Nunnally said.

"Uh... Lelouch, are you ok?" Rei asked.

"My brother is fine, there's nothing wrong with him." Nunnally said.

He wish he could believe Nunnally, but what he was feeling from Lelouch were thoughts of murder and killing someone. He approached Rei and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's nice to see that there's someone to attend to Nunnally while I'm gone." Lelouch said.

_'Why is he smiling when I feel like he's about to kill me?'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**Makeshift Office**

"Yes, I've been demoted in the same way you two were." Diethard said.

"Which is why we need your help." Villetta said.

"In what exactly?" Diethard asked.

"We have some clues regarding Zero." Jeremiah declared.

"That we don't intend for things to end this way." Villetta said, "Surely you feel the same way."

"Perhaps..." Diethard said.

"We believe a male student from Ashford Academy is connected to Zero." Villetta said, "He might be a supporter or maybe directly connected to him, but without any evidence to prove it..."

"I see..." Diethard said, "You want me to find out if he's connected to Zero or not."

"Well that's exactly my point. He was there in Shinjuku the day Clovis was murdered. Not only that, it's probably because of him that my Sutherland was stolen and Lord Jeremiah can't remember much of what happened when Zero showed up." Villetta said, "We can't investigate it because we're being deployed to the Narita Mountains."

"The region rumored to be the territory of the JLF?" Diethard asked.

"You know, you're too smart for your own good." Jeremiah said.

* * *

**North Point Air Base**

Orson had all the pilots come to the briefing room. Mihaly and Snow were there.

"Alright people, there's only one reason I brought you here." Orson said, "Princess Cornelia has accepted our request to join her in her deployment to the Narita Mountains where the supposed base of the JLF is located."

The pilots began to mutter to each other.

"I know this sounds big and all, but remember, I made that request so that not only can we allow a few good aces here get a taste of battle, but it's also for the world to see the might of our military, namely the Army and the Air Force." Orson said, "The Army is going to be watching up there, so don't look like an ass up there! Make sure to gut every enemy down and come back alive so I can give you patriots some medals, am I right?"

"Yes sir!" The pilots said.

"Good, lets start the briefing then." Orson said.

* * *

_**Later...**_

**In a warehouse**

Lights came on as the Black Knights were looking at the newly arrived Knightmare Frames.

"Wow this is amazing!" One of the Black Knights said.

"Are these Glasgows?" Another Black Knight asked.

"They're Burais." Another member answered, "They've been redesigned with Japanese modifications."

These Burais were painted black with grey and brown. A commander unit had a red head module with golden horns resembling a samurai helmet. It had a much darker grey color with a more prominent brown secondary colors.

"It wasn't easy joining the Black Knights."

"This makes us the elite, right?!"

Akihiro was painting a Japanese character on his Burai while Aya was painting a Japanese character on her Burai as well with Koji doing the same to his Burai. Naoto and his group were around two Knightmare Frames that looked much too different from the Burais.

"They are fired up alright." Naoto said, "They sent these things along with the Burais as well.

"Yeah, the Guren Mk2 and the Byakuen." Inoue said.

"Two entirely Japanese made Knightmare Frames." Minami said.

The Type-02 Guren Mk2 had a right hand with a claw and a left arm with a hand cannon built in. The Type-01/C Byakuen looked like the Guren Mk2, only instead of it being red, it was white and had a right arm with a golden apparatus with several weapons fixed on it. Unlike the Guren, the Byakuen had sakuradite applied to its body and a weapon that supposedly shuts down Knightmare Frames called the Gefjun Breaker.

"The big shots at Kyoto are finally recognizing us!" Tamaki said, "Now I'm fired up!"

"Mr Tamaki!" A female recruit said, "How do I use this equipment?"

"Hold on a minute!" Tamaki said as he went over, "I'll be right over in a sec!"

"Newbies are helpless alright." Yoshida said.

"You got that right." Inoue said.

The group except for Naoto, Rei, and Kallen left.

"We've come a long way." Naoto said.

"That is true." Kallen said.

"Yeah..." Rei said.

"It's a bit too soon to celebrate, isn't it?" Zero said as he came out of the shadows.

"I guess." Naoto said before he looked to Zero, "It's not everyday you have Kyōto backing you. They back resistance groups all over Japan."

"Yes, that is true, but this is a test." Zero said.

"A test?" Rei asked.

"To see if we are worthy for them." Zero said.

"Of course, the litmus test." Naoto said, "You can't be backed unless you show them your stuff."

"That's right." Zero said, "If we can impress them, they will support us without end."

"I see..." Kallen said.

"Kallen, Rei, catch." Zero said as he lobbed two keys to the two.

Rei caught a white key that looked like the Japanese kabuto beetle. Kallen caught a key that looked like the wing of a bird.

"Rei, the Byakuen is yours." Zero said, "Kallen, take the Guren Mk2."

"What?" Kallen asked, "But why?"

"I get it, it's because we're ace pilots." Rei said, "And that the Byakuen is within my ability as an ace to properly use it correctly since its output wouldn't allow a normal human to pilot it, right?"

"Astute observation, my student." Zero said.

"Student?" Naoto asked, "Now you hold it there buddy, I don't think the kid can handle the leadership role just yet."

"On the contrary." Zero said, "I can see potential in Rei, however, it has yet to blossom. I intend on teaching him and watch him as he grows from a sapling to a tree."

Naoto looked a bit worried.

"I can handle myself Naoto-San." Rei said, "I'll keep Kallen Oneechan safe!"

"Rei, you really don't have to call me that." Kallen said.

"Hey, Zero, I just got some information from Kyoto, apparently, they want us at Narita as soon as possible." Ohgi said as he had a binder with some documents inside, "There's also some information from that Britannian applicant as well, I think it explains why Kyōto wants us there."

Ohgi handed Zero the binder. He read it.

_'So the day has come.'_ Lelouch thought, "Alright then, we go as soon as we can. Naoto, tell the Blood of the Samurai to arrive at Narita, we're going to need them. I'll make a call to the JLF."

"Huh? Ok then." Naoto said as he got his phone out.

"Rei, I need you to come with me for a moment." Zero said, "There's something I want to discuss with you in private."

"Oh! Ok!" Rei said.

* * *

He followed the mask man to somewhere where they wouldn't be disturbed as Ohgi had the Black Knights getting ready to mobilize.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Rei asked.

"Rei, I want you to meet up with the Blood of the Samurai while I got to Narita. From there, once you've reached Narita, you will formulate a plan to attack the enemy from behind." Zero said.

"W-What?" Rei asked.

"The Blood of the Samurai wont make it to the mountain, but once they arrive, the Britannians will have prepped themselves to attack the JLF." Zero said, "They'll be in a position to attack the enemy from behind. Once you formulated a plan of attack, you will lead them to the attack as soon as I give you the signal. If you can do some major damage to the enemy, then you will have learned something from me."

"But without me, the only one who could protect you is—"

"I know. If Durandal or the Lancelot shows. Kallen will be the only one who can take them head on. If both show up, we'll be in a disadvantage." Zero said, "That's why you'll be a deciding factor in all of this."

"Me?" Rei asked.

"Yes." Zero said, "I'll use the Guren Mk2 to bury the Britannians in a sea of mud and rubble! And you shall use the Byakuen to deal them a bloody deathblow to the enemy!"

* * *

**_Later..._**

**JLF Base, Narita**

Katase was on the phone with the masked man himself.

"Yes, I am aware of that. Kyoto is sending resistance groups our way now." Katase said.

"Good, the Black Knights will arrive using the route Kyoto gave us. We have the Guren Mk2 along with the Byakuen." Zero said, "I believe you know why Kyoto is having resistance groups all over to head over to Narita?"

"It's the Britannians, they're launching an assault—"

"Within two days." Zero said.

"Two days?!" Katase exclaimed.

"Yes, is Todoh still here or—"

"N-No... he went to get the Burai Kai from Kyoto." Katase said.

"I see... when I arrive, we can formulate a plan. Right now, have your men on high alert. I'll be there within the window." Zero said, "This battle will decide the fate of the resistance movement, we mustn't lose, no matter what."

"I know that!" Katase said, "But how can we—?"

"I can substitute for Todoh while he's gone." Zero said.

"Huh? You... you will?" Katase asked.

"Yes. I will take his place so that when he arrives, he'll see us winning against the Britannians." Zero said, "If we work together, we can win."

Katase thought about it. Todoh was a miracle worker alright, but with him gone, the only person he could rely on to bring a miracle would be Zero. But would his men trust him? He killed Kusakabe. But nonetheless, he needed a miracle. He sighed.

"Fine then." Katase said, "I'll be waiting."

"Thank you." Zero said.

* * *

**Zero's Mobile Base**

Lelouch hung up.

_'All preliminary tasks have been completed. The conditions are set. The overall objective: the survival of the Japan Liberation Front.'_ Lelouch thought, _'As for you Cornelia, I will break you and crush your forces and then capture you. After I've done all of that, I'll make you reveal to me who slew my mother.'_

He then thought about Rei.

_'Rei, I know shouldn't lump pressure on you, but if you can do it, if you can deal the enemy a fatal blow, then you shall be able to do as I have done.'_ Lelouch thought, _'Your actions in Narita will change everything.'_

* * *

**Durandal's Private Estate**

Durandal was in the Grail as it was being transported in Durandal's personal transport. Schnee and Ledo were in their Sutherlands being transported as well. They were given orders to escort the Special Corps as soon as the battle begins. He thought about his next battle with Rei.

_'I'm waiting little rabbit, waiting for the day you make your final dance.'_ Durandal thought.

Lalah was going along with Durandal in the truck. She silently prayed.

_'Rei, if you show up to Narita, you will die.'_ Lalah thought, _'For everyone's sake, don't.'_


	19. Chapter 18: Arrival at Narita

**Chapter 18: Arrival at Narita**

**JLF Base, Narita**

It was the dead of night and all the nearby resistance groups, using the routes Kyoto gave them, made it to Narita just before the Britannian assault was supposed to begin. The JLF were on high alert. JLF scouting patrols and lookout houses sighted the incoming resistance groups. The Black Knights were among the groups that made it. Along with the Black Knights were the Seiryu Army, the Midnight Shadow, the Flower Division, and several small groups. They all made their way inside the base. Zero parked his Burai in the hangar of the JLF's main base. Zero got out and headed to meet with Katase along with the other leaders of the resistance groups in a room for the meeting to take place.

* * *

**Outside Narita**

Rei, along with Akihiro, Aya, and Koji, were on their way to rendezvous with the Blood of the Samurai, who were on route to Narita. The Burai the Yamato Kids were using had the same equipment as they used in Saitama and had Japanese characters written on their chests. Akihiro's Burai has the character 'Gorestsu' on his Burai, Aya's Burai has the character 'Shippu' on her Burai, and Koji has the character 'Senken' on his Burai. Rei was trying to get used to the cockpit since it was designed to look more like a motorbike than the usual chair. The interface of the cockpit wasn't much different except for the way the cockpit was designed. They saw the Blood of the Samurai in their brown colored Sutherlands.

"I see them!" Rei said.

"Good, that means we made it in time." Koji said, "Remind me why we're doing this again?"

"Because we got nothing better to do." Akihiro said.

"Besides, we need to watch over the Byakuen." Aya said, "I just hope Ren and Kai are doing fine in the command truck."

Ren and Kai were in a command truck. It was outfitted with sonar, radar, communications, spare energy fillers and a gatling gun for whenever there was trouble.

"Wait, they seem bigger than before." Rei said.

"Bigger?" Akihiro asked.

Their force was bigger than it originally was. It looked as if other resistance groups had joined with the Blood of the Samurai. Not only that, but there were tanks and APCs that looked to have the flag of Japan on them. Whether these were stolen or just obtained illicitly is hard to tell. Some of them looked stolen with several scratches and whatnot, others looked like they were in mint condition with no scratches and anything else of the sort. They even had supply trucks with them. The group quickly joined up with the Blood of the Samurai.

Takamura noticed the three Burai following a white Knightmare Frame with a beetle head. He opened a com link to them.

"Are you with the Black Knights?" Takamura asked.

"Yes." Rei replies.

"Wait... that squeaky voice... you're Naoto's little kid bro!" Takamura said.

"Takamura-San!" Rei said.

"Huh?" Akihiro asked.

"Oh Yeah, Naoto saved the Blood of the Samurai, right?" Aya asked.

"Yeah, almost forgot about that." Koji said.

"Well that's good. At least we made it in time." Kai said.

"We still have a long way to go." Ren said.

They linked up with the Blood of the Samurai and made their way up the mountain.

* * *

**Train Station, Tokyo Settlement**

Joseph Fenette was on the phone with his wife Susan who had found out about his next trip.

"Don't worry honey, I'll be fine." Joseph said, "Ive gotten into scuffles before but—"

"But honey, there are rumors that the JLF is hiding there." Susan said, "What if the military shows up and there's a huge battle all of a sudden?"

"Then I'll lay low and wait for it all to die down." Joseph said, "You shouldn't worry too much."

He heard a sigh.

"Just... just be safe." Susan said.

"I will mom." Joseph said.

The two chuckled.

"Really though, you're starting to sound like my mother. She always tells me to keep an eye out for suspicious people or to never go to the Ghettoes at night." Joseph said, "But seriously though, I'll be fine."

"And Shirley? How is she?" Susan asked.

"I got her some tickets to an opera house with her boyfriend." Joseph said.

"WITHOUT MY **CONSENT**?!" Susan screamed.

"Look, our little angel has a crush and as her father, I am obligated to help her in any way I can." Joseph said, "Even you—"

She quickly hung up on him. He sighed.

"Well, I guess I oughta go then." Joseph said, _'As a surveyor, my duty is to find veins of sakuradite. I'm sure the Narita Mountains have veins of sakuradite that need to be mined.'_

* * *

**JLF Main Base**

Leaders of all the resistance groups that have gathered to Narita were in the meeting room. Zero entered the room. In the room were the leaders of the resistance groups that had gathered to Narita. Katase smiled as the masked man joined them.

"You're here, Zero." Katase said, "I expected you to be taller."

"Why hello Gen. Katase, it is good to see you." Zero said, "Now then, what's our strength right now?"

"Well, we have a lot of Burai thanks to a shipment from Kyoto, more than 100 tanks, defense turrets, and thanks to you, the Guren Mk2." Katase said, "The Byakuen is missing though, where is it?"

The leaders began to mutter to each other as they heard of the Guren Mk2 and the Byakuen.

"On an assignment to meet with the Blood of the Samurai." Zero said, "They'll arrive within the window."

"Good." Katase said.

"What about our defenses?" A leader asked.

"Thanks to the improvements Kyoto has made to the base, we now have CIWS and SAMS." Katase said, "We even have prototype weapons built into the mountain."

"Prototype weapons?" Zero asked.

"Developed during the war." Katase said, "The Amaterasu is a laser weapon that used sakuradite and we have the Inazuma railgun that uses electromagnetic energy and sakuradite to fire experimental high-explosive sakuradite rounds."

"So two sakuradite based weapons are our disposal." Zero said, "Anything else?"

"Well, the Burai we got from Kyoto are amazing." Katase said, "These Burai are different from regular Burai."

Soon screens showed up and displayed images of the Burai Kyoto had sent. Lelouch was amazed by what he was seeing.

_'This is...'_ Lelouch thought, _'This is perfect!'_

Perfect was right, the Burai from Kyoto looked like they could deal tremendous damage if used correctly.

"The Heavy Arms type is a hard hitter. It's equipped solely for heavy assaults. The Burai Raiko type is outfitted with a mini version of the Raiko's Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon." Katase said, "We have dozens more of these new types. They'll be useful in battle."

"I believe I have plan for our battle with the enemy." Zero said, "The overall objective is to drive the Britannians back from this mountain while keeping most of our forces intact. And this battle will give us an opportunity for something else as well."

"Like what?" Katase asked.

"Capturing Cornelia." Zero said.

The leaders looked shocked.

"Capturing Cornelia?" Katase asked.

"Yes, while survival of our forces is important, if we capture Cornelia, not only will our victory deliver a clear message to Britannia, Cornelia's capture would send a message to the entire world that Britannia can be defeated!" Zero said, "The morale of the Britannian military will be bent, their hold on Area 11 will slowly give way, and then all will be tossed into chaos as we take Tokyo and every other Settlement from Britannia, forming a new Japan!"

The leaders looked astounded by what Zero spoke. The idea of a new Japan was quickly beginning to latch onto the leaders. Katase especially was beginning to grasp the idea.

_'So that's it... you're fighting to create a new Japan... one that could stand up to Britannia...'_ Katase thought.

"Now you see? This battle will not only decide the fate of the resistance movement, it will determine the fate of the birth of a new Japan!" Zero said, "A Japan that can face Britannia! A Japan that looks to the future! A Japan that will forever leave an impact on the world! Our victory will embolden the resistance movement. Capturing Cornelia to add the cherry on top of our victory will make Britannia wake up to a reality where it no longer wins simply by being stronger than every other country! They will remember our victory as the victory that has shattered their pride and smashed their invincibility!"

The leaders were captivated by all of this.

"When Todoh comes to Narita, he will see the miracle we'll perform without him. We will show him just how brave we've become since that day in Itsukushima!" Zero said.

"And this miracle? What exactly is that?" Katase asked.

"We are going to bury the enemy in a gigantic landslide! The Britannians will be destroyed by the very land they conquered seven years ago!" Zero said.

"A landslide?" Katase asked.

"Yes, with the Guren Mk2 and some excavators I've brought with me, we'll use the Radiant Wave Surger to cause the water veins to explode and unleash a wave of mud and dirt on the enemy." Zero said, "The Byakuen, along with the Blood of the Samurai, will attack the enemy from behind!"

The leaders commented on Zero's plan.

"Then how shall our forces be placed?" Katase asked.

"Simple." Zero said, "A layout if you would."

Katase has a screen show a layout of the mountain.

"For phase 1, we will have our forces dig in and set up defense lines and traps at these areas that are by the base and cover our flanks. We'll have bombardiers set up behind the frontlines and provide supporting fire. Keep any close combat type Burais in reserve along with the Raikos that I believe you still have, we'll need them for phase 2." Zero said, "As soon as I give the signal, have our forces positioned so that they'll be outside of the mudflow, that way our forces won't be damaged from the landslide."

The orange dots represented the combined forces of the JLF and the resistance groups. The dots were over by the areas that were close to the base. They had taken up positions near the base.

"And our formation? Katase asked.

"Naoto and I were discussing that on our way here." Zero said, "He said that we should deploy our men in a defensive formation will be useful in goading the enemy and cause them to make unforced mistakes. Have our men spread out into wings. If they continue to advance, we'll fall back cautiously and hold formation."

The dots moved so that they were spread out and looked to be in a defensive formation.

"But we've received word from Kyoto of their new weapons." Katase said, "The enemy has flying Knightmare Frames and Sutherlands with different types of equipment."

"I'm aware of that. If I were Cornelia, I would have the long range units provide covering fire and have the close range units charge in." Zero said, "Ignore the long range units. If you have to engage them, engage them if you are positive that you can end them quickly."

"I see then..." Katase said, "and their aerial units?"

"We'll have the SAMS and CIWS fire on them. We'll have any anti-aircraft units take the enemy's air power on, even if we are put into a disadvantage." Lelouch said, "Anything else?"

"Well... there is one other problem." Katase said, "The enemy has a mobile artillery cannon called Canterbury. It's like the Raiko, only that it's not made up of Glasgows."

"Can I see it?" Zero asked.

Katase handed Zero the papers on the Canterbury. The machine looked threatening. Not only was it big, it was powerful.

_'So Cornelia is going to bring this prototype with her? That is troublesome.'_ Lelouch thought, _'Not only is it powerful, it's size is intimidating. Cornelia will most likely keep it well protected.'_

"Well?" Katase asked.

"It is concerning indeed. It's destruction will be hard." Zero said, "We will have to watch out for that cannon."

"Yes, that's true indeed." Katase said, "How do we fight it?"

"We'll have to separate it from the main force or hope the landslide can halt it in place or keep it isolated from the main force." Zero said, "As for Phase 2, after the landslide has decimated the enemy, we go on the attack. The Britannians will be forced to fight in a battle of attrition that is to our favor. Have our close combat units charge in and charge at the enemy. I will lead a unit to go after Cornelia, as she'll be isolated thanks to the landslide. I will have the Guren Mk2 with me for there is a chance the Lancelot will appear."

"You mean the Britannian's new model Knightmare Frame?" Katase asked.

"Yes." Zero said, "We must match the enemy Knightmare for Knightmare. The Guren Mk2 should be able to fight the Lancelot head on."

"And the Byakuen?" Katase asked.

"It will lead an assault from behind the enemy. If they deal a significant amount of damage, they'll crush the enemy forces at the rear and force the enemy into a do or die resistance or rout." Zero said, "They will utterly be without any reinforcements. We'll destroy them using the Amaterasu and the Inazuma and show them the true might of the Japanese!"

"Then shall we begin setting the defenses?" Katase asked.

"Yes, begin at once. My Black Knights will get ready up on the summit of the mountain, we'll plant the excavators there and have them ready for Phase 1." Zero said, "I thank you for your cooperation, all of you."

"And I thank you on the behalf of everyone here for you coming here." Katase said.

* * *

**En route to Narita**

"Attack the enemy from behind?" Koji asked.

"Yeah, at least that's what I think he wants us to do." Rei said, "But we cant just attack them from behind, we have to take out their G-1 Base."

"Of course, they'd bring those things anywhere to a battlefield." Aya said, "Destroy that and they'll be headless chickens with no sense of direction."

"But won't it be guarded?" Akihiro asked.

"Possibly." Koji said, "But even so, they won't match up with us."

"I guess." Akihiro said, "But whats so special about the G-1 anyway?"

"Its a mobile command center. It also doubles as a field hospital. They also have someone really important inside." Aya said, "Not only do we destroy their command center and field hospital, we gut down one of their most prized person inside. We'll destroy their leadership and their command structure will fall to pieces like a house of cards."

"So it's like killing the leader then." Akihiro said.

"That's one way to summarize it." Koji said, "But is that gonna leave a nice impression on Zero?"

"Huh?" Aya asked, "Of course it will."

Rei held tightly to the control sticks as he thought of his upcoming battle with Durandal.

_'This time... with this Byakuen... things will be different!'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**Ashford Academy Dorms**

Nina felt so lost while she was in her dorm. She didn't know what to think. She was absolutely lost. She gave him her thanks, only for him to push her away. That urge was rising again. She had to do something about it. She blushed when she thought of Rei's smile. She didn't know how to put her thoughts about his appearance in context. She didn't know how to put it in words. It made her feel awful as she took his words into account along with this urge that would not leave her be.

* * *

**ASEEC Hanger**

"On standby?" Rai asked, "Does she not want us on the front lines at all?"

"Just be glad we're going there." Suzaku said.

"Yes... unfortunately we are on standby." Lloyd said, "But at least it won't be like with Orange!"

Lloyd's cheek was pinched by Cecile.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Lloyd said.

"When are you going to stop taking pleasure in someone's misfortune?" Cecile asked.

"If it'll get you to stop, now will be a good time!" Lloyd said.

"Good answer." Cecile said as she released his cheek.

"Oh there you are," a voice called.

It was Nonette. She came by the ASEEC Corp.

"I heard you boys are headed for Narita." Nonette said, "It's a shame I can't come with you boys."

"Why's that lady Nonette?" Suzaku asked.

"Because I got to stay since Euphie, being as stubborn as her sister, insists that she go to learn what actual combat looks like personally on the battlefield." Nonette said, "Please take good care of her."

"Yes, we wouldn't want the Goddess of Victory to lose her younger sister, do we?" Darlton said as he came in.

"Oh? And what brings Cornelia's Indomitable Shield and Unbending Blade here?" Nonette asked.

"Just wanted to give advice." Darlton said.

"Well you can wait, I got here first." Nonette said, "Ladies first as they say."

"Of course, how silly of me." Darlton said.

She looked to the boys and put her hands on their shoulders.

"Look boys, I know Cornelia can be kind of insufferable and may do things that can be quite dumb or just flat out of her pride, but that's just how she chose to live her life. That and Euphie of course." Nonette said, "You boys decide how you want to live. You control your own destiny. Not god, not a country, not principles, just yourself and your own actions and decisions. When all is lost, just remember why you are here."

The two boys felt encouraged and empowered by Nonette's words.

"Are you done?" Darlton asked.

"In a second." Nonette said, "Just remember why you are here. Think about the one thing you want to live for."

"Right..." The two boys said.

"Good." Nonette said, "Alright, it's your turn."

"Finally." Darlton said as Nonette was leaving, "Listen up you two, Cornelia doesn't want to rely on numbers, but I say make every soldier count. She needs every able body needed."

Darlton looked at Suzaku, "As for you Kururugi, you think that if you follow all the rules, you'll get what you want?"

"Why ye—"

"Dead wrong!" Darlton said, "Sometimes, you have to **break** a few rules! If you lie your head down willingly, you're just a **dog**! A man doesn't lie down and does what he's been told to do, he stands for what he **believes** in! If the rules won't let you do what's right, then you might as well **break** or **bend** them!"

Suzaku looked shocked by what Darlton said, "Sir Darlton..."

"Listen well Kururugi, if you want a change from within so bad, you need to **lead**! Stop following! Take command! Make a statement! Get everyone's attention! Get them to **respect** you! Until then, that change from within is nothing **but** a pipe dream!" Darlton said, "If you just follow all the rules blindly, then that day will never come!"

Suzaku didn't know what to say to that. Darlton smiled.

"Sir... why are you telling me this?" Suzaku asked.

"Because that's how I gained her respect and became her knight." Darlton said, "A man chooses his path, not god, not anyone. Be who you choose to be. If people say that you can't, show them that you can. That's how Marianne got up there on the Knights of the Round."

He left. Suzaku felt a connection to Darlton.

"Inspiring isn't it?" Lloyd asked, "Hearing the Indomitable Shield giving you advice must really have an effect on you."

"I... I guess so." Suzaku concurred, "It feels... uplifting. Almost like—"

"A father?" Lloyd asked.

Suzaku fumbled with his words. Lloyd bursted out in laughter.

"Dude, you walked into that one." Rai said, "Anyway, I guess we should prepare."

"That is correct." Cecile said, "Let's get the Lancelot and the Club loaded on the trailers."

Lloyd regained his composure, "Yes Yes. Quite right."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Euphemia watched as her Gloucester was loaded onto the G-1 alongside Cornelia's Gloucester. She looked to see Sutherlands, Gloucesters, and Liverpools being loaded on trains. She looked to see the Canterbury being loaded up on a transport meant to carry it. Cornelia approached her sister.

"Sub-Viceroy, are you done gawking?" Cornelia asked, "You should get some sleep."

"Oh, sorry Viceroy, I couldn't help but—"

"It's ok, every soldier gets nervous when they are getting ready for their first hand experience of the battlefield." Cornelia said, "Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I've made my decision. I can't look back." Euphemia said, "Besides, someone needs to protect you as well."

"Sub-Viceroy, I have my Knights and a newly established Royal Guard. I'll be fine." Cornelia said, "Speaking of which, maybe we should go and get you a knight and a Royal Guard."

"Sister, you know I can find one myself." Euphemia said.

"Yes, but—"

"Viceroy! We've gotten some photos from the reconnaissance aircraft that was sent to scope out the area." An officer said holding some photographs.

The officer handed the Viceroy the photos. As she looked through the photos, she was beginning to look worried.

"And this information, is it reliable?" Cornelia asked.

"We believe so. Intelligence suggests that more groups have come to Narita to meet up with the JLF." The officer said.

"Just a day before we begin?" Cornelia asked, "If they think they'll win by getting more of their kind to aid them, they're sorely mistaken."

"Should we delay the attack?" The officer asked.

"No. We move out." Cornelia said, "Besides, they don't know about the formation that we'll be deploying in."

"Yes milady." The officer said, "If you'll excuse me."

The officer left. Euphemia looked worried.

"Sister, is it possible that the Black Knights will appear?" Euphemia asked.

"What, you'd think they appear?" Cornelia asked.

"Well... it's probably just a guess." Euphemia said, "Something about Zero felt... familiar. It was strange at first, but his mannerisms, The way he goes on about justice and his tactical skills... it's almost as if... almost as if Lelouch were there in front of me."

Cornelia looked in doubt, "Sub-Viceroy, if that was supposed to be a joke, I'm not amused by it."

"No. I'm serious! It really felt like—"

"Euphie, we talked about this. We agreed to never, ever, talk about it." Cornelia said.

Euphemia thought as to why Cornelia was acting this way, "It's because you think they still died."

"Euphie, for the love of god, just let it go already." Cornelia said, "Besides... he would never... he wouldn't murder Clovis... there's no way he would do such a thing."

Euphemia could sense the denial in Cornelia's voice.

"Sister..." Euphemia said, "You know... if they were still alive, would things... be different?"

"I... I don't know. I just don't know." Cornelia said, "I don't know... do you really believe they still live."

"I... I do." Euphemia said, "Is that—"

"No. It's ok to have hopes and dreams." Cornelia said, "I must prepare. Get some sleep."

"Yes, Vice— Sister." Euphemia said.

* * *

**Narita**

Joseph found a good place to rest easy in. He left his stuff in the room and quickly went to rest himself. He thought about his wife and daughter. He was hoping that the hike up to Narita would be worth it as long as nothing goes wrong.

* * *

**On the mountain**

The JLF had begun setting up explosives and traps all over the mountain. The combined forces of the resistance groups and the JLF were deploying in the formation Zero advised them to use and had them cover lots of ground. Tanks and Burai were camouflaged and were hidden. The turrets were deployed and hidden across the mountain with camouflage. Bunkers were raised and camouflaged. CIWS and SAMs were being deployed and were being hidden using camouflage. The Black Knights were headed for the summit.

"I can't believe he got the JLF to cooperate with us." Ohgi said, "Is there anything he can't do?"

"Well he can't fly." Yoshida said.

"Yeah, and then he sprouts wings just to prove us wrong." Minami said.

"Real funny guys..." Sugiyama said.

"Kallen, you read the manual, right?" Naoto asked.

"Yeah. I've read it. I just never thought it would have a motorbike cockpit." Kallen said, "The Radiant Wave Surger must be one tough weapon alright."

"You got that right." Naoto said, "A weapon that generates an energy reaction so high, it could destroy almost anything. Too bad it's so dangerous that you need ammunition to keep the reaction from going completely out of control. Use it too much and you'll explode with it."

"And the Byakuen?" Kallen asked.

"From what the kid told me, the right arm is basically one of those army knives that has a lot of tools in it." Naoto said, "That and a weapon that can disable anything powered by sakuradite within a 100 meters around it. However, that includes Knightmares, so we ought to be away from the Byakuen when that weapon activates, otherwise we'll get hit with it."

"Seriously?" Kallen asked, "Are you sure Rei can handle it?"

"Oh come on, the kid has piloted at least 3 Knightmares. It can't be that bad. Im sure he's getting used to the new cockpit." Naoto said.

Lelouch kept going as he thought of Rei.

_'I'm putting my trust in you Rei. Lead the Blood of the Samurai to attack Cornelia from behind and show me what you have learned.'_ Lelouch thought, _'as for me, I have work to do. Survive and crush the enemy, my student.'_

* * *

_**The very next day...**_

The Blood of the Samurai made it in time, but the Britannians already got to the mountain. The surrounding highways and mountain roads were cut off. The enemy had practically barricaded access to the mountain.

"Well, we made it, but we're too late." Takamura said before he turned to Rei, "You really want to do this?"

"I'm positive." Rei said, "I'm sure my plan will work! It will!"

Takamura sighed, "You are hopeless."

Rei smiles, "Well, at least we're in an advantageous position after all."

"Tch." Takamura said.

Rei looked at the mountain. The Knightmares were hidden and camouflaged.

_'Zero, wait for me.'_ Rei thought, _'You'll see me! You'll see the miracle I've got in store for you!'_


	20. Chapter 19: Battle of Narita

**Chapter 19: Battle of Narita **

Joseph couldn't believe it. He just got here and thought everything would be fine. Next thing he knows, he's rudely awoke and is now walking with other civilians out of the town by a guerrilla group. The people were being safely escorted out of the town. He looked to the mountain. Now he wished he'd just listen to his wife. All he had to do was just go along with all the other civilians as they were being evacuated. As he was being moved along with the rest of the civilians, one white Knightmare Frame got his attention. It had a horn shaped like a beetle pointing upward. It's back looked more like a hump than a rectangle. It also had a golden apparatus on its right arm. A thought came to his mind.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

The G-1 Base was moving up the foot of the mountain. The bridge was filled with staff officers and with Cornelia, her two Knights, and Euphemia.

"We are certain that the JLF's main base is here in Narita." Darlton said, "Since a recon photo confirmed that at least a few other groups have joined the enemy in the mountain, it means their numbers have grown."

"But they don't about the formation we are deploying in, yes?" Cornelia asked.

"Exactly. We've split our forces from four battalions to seven units and hid them in the vicinity." Darlton said, "All we have to do is wait for your signal your highness and we'll surround them and eliminate them in one fell swoop."

"And you are confident that no enemy will attack us from outside the encirclement line?" Euphemia asked.

"You mean Zero and the Black Knights?" Cornelia asked.

"Have no fear, as the operation begins, we'll be cutting off the surrounding highways and mountain roads as well." Darlton assured.

"Plus, we have reserve units." Cornelia said, "If Zero is stupid enough to show up, it'll be the end of him."

"I see then. How silly of me." Euphemia said.

"It's ok, that's usually the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to encirclement battles." Darlton said.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

"You WHAT?!" Milly exclaimed, "You mean you have a crush on him?!"

"Well... I... I guess I do." Nina said, "It's just that when I thanked him, he just... pushed me away."

"Well he had a good reason didn't he?! I mean, you saw how he basically knocked two guys **dead** in a room, right?!" Milly asked.

"Well yes, but it's just that... maybe... maybe if I tell him how I feel, maybe... maybe he'll be less sad when he knows he has someone who loves him very much." Nina said, "And maybe... help alleviate his fear of his powers going berserk."

Milly sighed, "Honestly, do you want to have babies that have superpowers or something?"

Nina's face turned red, "Wha-What! No! You must be kidding me!"

"Your face turned red." Milly said.

"Just tell me how to tell him how I feel!" Nina requested.

Milly gave it thought, "Just tell him yourself by being yourself."

"What kind of garbage advice is that?!" Nina asked.

"It's the only garbage advice you're ever gonna get girl." Milly said, "Just dial him up and tell him how you feel."

"Well... I... oh..." Nina sighed, "If you say so."

* * *

**Narita**

Rei's phone was ringing. He picked it up from his pocket and saw that Nina was calling him. He answered the phone.

"Nina? Why are calling me?" Rei asked.

"Oh! Uh... it's uh... It's important! I wanted to tell you something!" Nina said.

"Important? Like what?" Rei asked.

"Well... it's uh... it's about what I said earlier and everything came after it." Nina said.

"Nina... look, you—"

He couldn't help but hear a few chuckles, "What's so funny guys?"

"Nothing!" The Yamato Kids exclaimed.

"As I was saying... I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or anything, it's just that..."

"No. You were right. You didn't want anyone to get hurt because of you." Nina said, "It's just that there's been something that I wanted to tell you very much."

"And what's that?" Rei asked.

"I... I..." Nina said, "I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE AND WILL HAPPILY LIKE TO BE YOUR FUTURE WIFE!"

There was a very very long pause as soon as he heard that.

"I'm sorry... I think I might be going deaf in one of my ears just now." Rei said, "Could you—"

She immediately hung up.

_'What?'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Nina was face down on the table. Milky looked surprised.

"Well... that's one hell of a marriage proposal." Milly said.

"Shut up Milly. I hate you." Nina said, "I hate you for everything. You are the reason I'm like this."

"That's partly true. Maybe I would have canceled it if I'd known terrorists were going to hijack the building." Milly said, "And who thought it was a good idea to tag along with me again?"

Nina whined.

* * *

**Narita**

_'Why... why would tell me that when I might possibly die?'_ Rei thought.

Everyone else except Aya was just laughing. Kai looked as if all hope was lost.

"What do you know! The White Jack has a girlfriend!" Akihiro said.

"Dude! Not even I thought that was gonna happen!" Koji said, "And here I thought Aya was gonna be his girlfriend!"

"You want me to shove my kodachi where the sun doesn't shine Koji?" Aya asked.

"What? You wanted to go out with him in private if you know what I'm saying?" Koji asked.

"Koji!" Aya yelled as her face turned red.

The boys just laughed while Rei was trying to process all of that.

_'First it's Lalah, then it's Nunnally, now Nina. This can't get possibly worse, right?'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**Rear Line**

"They're only evacuating civilians." Villetta said.

"Why the hell would a group of Elevens care for a bunch of civilians?" Kewell asked, "Not that it matters anyway."

"They're not attacking... pathetic." Jeremiah said, "So what if they get the civilians out, it doesn't matter."

* * *

**G-1 Base**

Cornelia was in her Gloucester. It had been checked and was ready to go.

"Your highness we are ready to begin." Darlton said.

"Good, as planned, the Sun-Viceroy will act as logistical support." Cornelia said, "Now about Nonette—"

"She'll be fine, she hasn't lost to anyone or anything." Darlton said.

* * *

**Viceroy's Office**

Nonette was at a lost with all these stacks of paper.

"How the hell does Nelly work with all of this?" Nonette asked herself.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"Your Highness, our forces are ready." Guilford said.

"Alright then, commence operation!" Cornelia said.

Her Gloucester flew out of the G-1 at top speed. She smiled in glee as she thought of the JLF's demise.

_'The Japan Liberation Front, you have been left behind by time, you who lack basic decency, your dream of a bygone golden age will become nothingness.'_ Cornelia thought, _'With this, you are finished!'_

* * *

**North Point Air Base**

Somersets we're launching off the runways and taking to the skies. Mihaly took off with his squadron as Snow followed.

Orson watched as his forces deployed from North Point.

"Now the world will look at the Britannian Air Force as they fight in the skies." Orson said to himself.

* * *

**Narita**

Sutherlands holding lances and rifles came out of the train cars as other Sutherlands came out with cannons in hand. Liverpools got out of the train as well. The Canterbury rolled out of its transport and marched off. Transport planes released Knightmare VTOLs carrying Knightmare Frames. The Knightmares deployed from their VTOLs and landed on the ground. Lalah was watching as the assault began.

_'And so it begins.'_ Lalah thought.

Durandal was in the Grail.

_'Where are you now little rabbit?'_ Durandal thought.

* * *

**JLF Base**

Katase entered the control room.

"Sir, it's just as we were told by Kyoto." The soldier said, "Our forces are in formation and all the defenses have been set up."

"And the enemy?" Katase asked.

"There is at least 100 units and counting. They have the mountain surrounded." The soldier said, "Are we sure we should do this?"

"We have no choice." Katase said, "We must trust Zero like we trust Tohdoh."

"I see then." The soldier said.

Katase looked at the map, _'We'll win. We have Zero with us. He will do just as Tohdoh has in Itsukushima. The kamikaze will blow once again.'_

* * *

**Summit**

The Black Knights were shocked by what they were seeing. The excavators continued to dig.

"Surrounding the mountain, just like I thought." Naoto said, "So, what about the kid, you think he'll—"

"He will. I assure you of that." Zero said, 'Rei, I await your move after my move.'

"Are you kidding me?! They got this mountain surrounded!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"We have only one option then, to fight." Zero said.

"Fight?! Are you kidding?!" Yoshida said.

"Yeah, this looks way different here man!" Sugiyama said.

"Look guys, we got no choice." Naoto said, "It's do or die."

"Naoto..." Kallen said.

"I don't care if it's do or die! It should have been me as the leader!" Tamaki said as he pointed the gun at Zero.

"Tamaki!" Naoto exclaimed.

Zero whipped out his gun, only to turn the gun around.

"If you think of me that way, then why don't you take this gun and shoot me." Zero said, "I won't even budge for a second."

Tamaki looked just as shocked as the rest of the Black Knights.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"We've got aerial forces coming in from North Point. They'll arrive within a few minutes." A staff officer said, "As for our ground forces, they have been divided into three groups comprising the main force. General Darlton on the right, General Alex in the center, and Viceroy Cornelia on the left."

"The enemy will engage our forces and try to break out of our encirclement at some point." A second staff officer said, "From there, we can ascertain the location of their base."

"We wish to obtain a list of collaborators, so until then, the aerial forces will only be providing air cover for our ground forces and are prohibited from bombing the area." A third officer said, "The Canterbury is also here as our siege engine and artillery unit, it is under Darlton's command. As for our flanking forces—"

The screen was getting static.

"It's enemy ECM. We'll just use ECCM mode to deal with this." The first staff officer said.

Euphie looked to the mountain, _'Please be safe sister.'_

* * *

**Narita**

Darlton and his forces were climbing up.

"Switch to ECCM mode and link up on channel four." Darlton said, "The enemy, what are we calling them again?"

"Burai, sir." A soldier said.

"Right, look out for the pseudo Glasgows." Darlton said.

As his forces climbed, there was not a single enemy. The silence was beginning to make have flashbacks to back when he was in Itsukushima.

_'It's quiet... too quiet...'_ Darlton thought, "Keep your eyes peeled, they could be anywhere."

Up ahead of them were camouflaged units. Tanks were hiding in the forests. Soldiers holding rocket launchers were by the ridges. Burai ready to spring out and attack. Defense turrets were aimed and ready. Suddenly, an explosive went off, catching Darlton off guard. He turned to see a Sutherland fall over with a rocket to the chest and exploded.

"AMBUSH!" Darlton exclaimed.

Tanks began firing at Darlton's troops as the rockets came flying. The Burai revealed themselves and started firing from cover as the turrets did the same. The Canterbury fires it's cannon. The green energy slug hits a turret and destroyed it. Bullets and shells flew toward them as the combined resistance forces began to force the enemy back to cover.

"Damn! They were waiting for us!" Darlton said, "Let them have it!"

Destroyer horns and cannons from the Pinpoint Break type Sutherlands and the long-range Sutherlands fired off. The Sutherlands with the orange body armor or REVO armor fired their cannons and missile launchers. The Burais with the rocket launchers fired their rockets in retaliation.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Cornelia's force's quickly took cover as a rain of shells, rockets, and bullets came in everywhere.

"They turned this mountain into a fortress!" Cornelia said, "and they were waiting the red carpet out for us!"

"Your highness, we must fall back and—"

She rushed out into the open.

"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford cried out.

"It's Cornelia!" A soldier of the JLF said.

"Hold the line! Just take out the leader!" Another soldier said.

Cornelia dodged the incoming fire and jabbed the first Burai closest to her.

"Insolent weaklings!" Cornelia roared.

She stabbed another Burai and killed the pilot inside. The Burai exploded. Guilford fires a harken at a defense turret and destroys it.

"If That is the case, I'll just cover your rear then." Guilford said.

The combined resistance forces began to steadily retreat and hold formation.

"Retreating? Are they?" Cornelia asked as she held her lance, "Is there no one who can challenge me?"

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"The enemy has set up defense lines that quickly?!" The first staff officer said.

"It looks that way." The second officer said.

"Damn Elevens. They rather hide than come out?" The third officer asked.

"They must have known we would try to goad them out. But it appears forcing them out is the only way we can defeat them." Euphemia said, "And what of the aerial forces?"

"They'll arrive any minute now." The first Officer said.

She looked at the map as the battle progressed. A feeling came to her mind.

_'Could this be the work of Zero?'_ Euphemia thought.

* * *

**JLF Base**

"Our force's our pulling back cautiously as ordered. Our long range forces are slowing the enemy's advance." A soldier said, "Our casualties are minimal at the moment."

"The enemy is passing through Zone 1 now, they'll be entering Zone 2 any second now." Another soldier said.

Katase watched as the battle went on. As things stand, the plan was working. The enemy is advancing just as expected. If they keep it going like this, the enemy should be within the trap Zero has set. As he watched, he wondered what Tohdoh would think of this plan. Katase figured that if Tohdoh were to appear when the trap is sprung, his appearance would be the nail in the coffin for Cornelia's reputation as the Goddess of Victory.

**On a highway towards Narita**

Two trucks rammed through a barricade. Inside the lead truck was Tohdoh and Asahina.

"Sir, don't you think this is a bit crazy?" Asahina asked.

"Prep the Kais." Tohdoh said, "Have Urabe, Chiba, and Senba behind us to do the same."

"Huh?!" Asahina asked, "But sir—!"

A Somerset quickly flew overhead them.

"So the enemy's bringing aerial forces into this..." Tohdoh said, "They already launched the attack, if we don't hurry, it will be too late."

* * *

**Narita**

"Fire!" Om ordered.

The Canterbury fires a shot at the enemy formation. The formation was broken but then quickly replenished.

"Gah! These damn things are the Chinese Federation Gun-Rus, only they have actual arms!" Om said, "Where are the aerial forces?!"

"We got them on radar! There is at least 100 units! We got a few Ikaros among them!" The navigation officer said.

"About damn time!" Om said.

* * *

**JLF Base**

"Enemy aerial forces inbound!" A soldier said.

"Alright, activate the SAMs and CIWS! Let them have it!" Katase said.

* * *

**Narita**

The SAMs and CIWS came to life. The Somersets were flying in. Mihaly watched as the battle progressed.

"Hmph. We'll crush them." Mihaly said before he was starting to get missile warnings, "SAMs?! Spread out!"

The SAMs began to fire missiles at the Somersets. The CIWS were firing bullets at the Somersets.

"Spike! Spike!" A pilot said as he was dodging a missile.

Another missile was coming in. The pilot dodged the missile. The bullets however, chew through the Somerset and destroyed it. A Somerset was firing missiles at a turret. The turret was destroyed. There were Burais with miniguns on their arms with ammunition on their back with a feed mechanism that began firing at the Somersets. The Somersets were having at hard time attacking the enemy ground forces due to the fire coming from the combined resistance forces anti-air capabilities.

The resistance bombardiers fired missiles at the Sutherland Ikaros. Snow activated the EM armor. The EM armor manages to tank the missiles. The Ikaros unleashed its missiles and unfolded its wings. It fired all six of its coil guns at the resistance forces. The Britannians kept pushing as the resistance forces cautiously fell back.

Mihaly quickly flew over head of a lodge. It seemed as though the location of the JLF base was that lodge. He got to a high altitude as his asthma was acting up. He took his medication and opened a link.

"Sir Darlton, this is Sol 1, I've found the enemy base, transmitting it's coordinates to you." Mihaly said.

"Alright then Sol 1, thank you." Darlton said, "Call it in!"

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Cornelia had finished up a Burai and saw a signal flare.

"Darlton?" Cornelia asked.

"It would seem he's found the enemy main base. That or one of Orson's pilots gave the location to him." Guilford said.

"Either way, have the reserve forces go under Darlton's command." Cornelia said, "He's getting another medal today."

"We're not jumping in?" Guilford asked.

"He'll be fine on his own." Cornelia said, "He's got the Canterbury with him."

* * *

**Foot of the mountain**

Jeremiah slammed his fist on the cockpit block.

"I thought the reserve units were assigned to General Darlton!" Jeremiah said.

"Yes, but our unit is to secure Viceroy Cornelia's rear line." Villetta said.

"That cannot be! This is as far away from the battlefield as possible!" Jeremiah said, "How can I rebuild my reputation if I'm not out there doing the fighting?!"

* * *

**Cornelia's Position**

She looked to her map. Her forces were climbing up the mountain steadily and was approaching the JLF base.

_'With this, the Eleven resistance movement will cease to be...'_ Cornelia thought with a smile, _'May they all die with their pathetic dream!'_

* * *

**JLF Base**

A soldier quickly saw the red dots blinking and heard a confirmation noise.

"Sir! It's the signal!" A soldier said, "Zero's forces are going to spring the trap!"

"And the enemy?" Katase asked.

"They fell right in into the trap area!" The soldier said.

"Good! Have our men move out of the way and brace for shock!" Katase said.

* * *

**Narita**

The resistance forces quickly broke formation and were retreating. Darlton was confused by all of this and ordered his men to stop. He was starting to feel that something was wrong. General Alex ordered his men to charge in. Darlton warned Alex of a possible trap that was being set, but Alex did not listen! He was dead set in charging in! Little did he know his death awaited him.

* * *

**Summit**

Zero's Burai, along with all the other Burai reactivated. The Guren Mk2 activated as its cockpit closed and its head rose up.

"Black Knights! The enemy has fallen into our trap. With the Guren Mk2, we will not only devastate the Britannians, but drive a wedge between Cornelia and her troops!" Zero said, "This time, we will launch a counterattack from the summit and smash through the enemy and capture Cornelia, that will solidify our victory and put the cherry on top of it!"

"We got no choice!"

"We'll make a miracle happen!"

"Let's do it!"

"Kallen, electrode Number 3! Finish it in one blow!" Zero said.

"Right!" Kallen said.

The Radiant Wave Surger was powering up as Kallen got the right hand over the excavator. She breathed in.

_'Moment of truth!'_ Kallen thought, "Discharge!"

She discharged the Radiant Wave Surger, unleashing a huge red energy glow that flowed into the drill and into the water vein. The water veins quickly let off steam, pushing the mud and dirt up. The summit shook. The veins soon exploded with untold amounts of force.

_'It worked!'_ Kallen thought.

* * *

**Below the Summit**

Darlton saw the landslide as it was coming. It was massive. Very massive! It was so big and so fast, the G-1 itself could be probable danger!

"Landslide!" Darlton exclaimed, "Get out of the way! Hurry!"

The Britannians quickly moved away from the approaching landslide and were heading for higher ground. Darlton fired his slash harkens before he was being hit with the landslide. His unit struggled to climb itself out. He looked to where it was going and he saw his worst fears playing out. Alex's men along with Alex were getting swept up in it! It was headed for the G-1 as well.

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

The Trailers open up as the Lancelots were ready to go with the sand panels on their feet.

"Hurry up now! That landslide is coming right to us!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"But what about you guys?!" Suzaku asked.

"Yeah, you won't be able to make it out if we launch now!" Rai said.

"We'll be fine! Just go!" Cecile said.

"R-Right!" Suzaku said.

"Alright then, but if you don't answer when I'm calling you, then I'll lose it!" Rai said.

The two Lancelots launched with both Schnee and Ledo going along with them. The trailers began to move away from the landslide.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

The G-1 was moving away from the landslide as the earth quakes.

"The landslide is coming right at us!" The first staff officer said.

"Alex and Darlton's units are being wiped out!" The second officer said.

"Get is out of here!" Euphemia said.

"Too late! We won't make it!" The third officer said as the landslide was coming fast.

The forces guarding the G-1 were hit by the landslide. The landslide also hits the G-1. The G-1 shook violently and was almost about to tip over from the landslide. As the G-1 struggled to get out, everyone on the bridge had braced for impact. Fires were breaking out and damage was occurring all over the G-1.

* * *

**Durandal's Transport**

The Lancelot Grail was about to launch.

"It would seem the Elevens had planned this out." Durandal said to himself, "In any case, I'll be heading out."

"Good luck captain." Lalah said, "And come back alive."

"Yes." Durandal said.

The Grail launched from its transport. Durandal looked to see the ASEEC trailers get caught in the landslide.

_'Well, Schneizel's not gonna like what I'm about to tell him.'_ Durandal thought.

* * *

**Refugee location**

Joseph watched as the empty town was getting plowed with mud and dirt. He wondered what kind of weapon could do that. Now he really should have listened to his wife right now. At least he was brought to this safe location up on this hill, otherwise he'd be stuck on an apartment building hanging for dear life. The landslide was beginning to slow down and eventually stopped.

"What the hell is this?!" Akihiro said, "There's no way that a landslide like this can happen!"

"Zero! It's Zero!" Rei said.

"Zero?!" Koji asked, "You mean he—!"

* * *

**G-1 Base**

The G-1 has stabilized, it was now level. The damage was minimal with only a few fires contained.

"G-1! Respond! Respond!" Darlton called to the bridge.

The officers and Euphemia got back up.

"We're ok General! Some fires have broken out but we managed to contain them! We'll have them out shortly." The first staff officer said, "The treads on the other hand..."

"The landslide has damaged them so bad we can barely move the G-1." The second staff officer said, "The units guarding it were swept up in the landslide, so we're isolated."

"And we're not the only ones. Cornelia herself is isolated." The third officer said, "How many of our forces remain?"

"Hold on a minute... you there! How many of our forces are left?!" Darlton asked.

"About... 20% of our ground forces are still intact and combat operable." One of his soldiers said.

"20%?! You sure got that number right?!" Darlton asked.

"Please my lord! Don't shoot the messenger boy! I'm only reading what it says!" The soldier said.

"By god... 20%?" The first officer said, "What did we do to have this happen?"

"80% of our ground forces... lost?" The second officer said.

"How in the hell did the Japan Liberation Front cause this?!" The third officer asked.

Euphemia suddenly realized about something she forgot.

"The ASEEC Corps! What happened to them?!" Euphemia asked.

"The Special Envoy Corps?! Your sister is isolated for gods sake and you're worried about an irregular unit?!" The first officer berated her.

"But—!"

"I'm confident the bastards are alive! You have my word on that!" Darlton said.

Euphemia still looked worried, _'Suzaku, Rai... oh god... please be alright.'_

* * *

Near the town

Rai and Suzaku were looking for the trailers in the landslide. Rai and Suzaku had their factspheres out. Ledo and Schnee were searching as well.

"Lloyd! Cecile! Where are you?!" Rai asked, "Say something! Anything!"

Suzaku couldn't get through to the trailers, he had to assume that the communication equipment must have been damaged. He couldn't pick up the IFF on the trailers either. Suzaku felt a presence. It was... familiar... it was...

"Rai! They're alright! I can feel it! They're ok!" Suzaku said.

"Where?! Where are they?!" Rai asked.

"I don't know, but I think it's close!" Suzaku said.

"It's close where?! What direction?!" Rai asked.

"Like I said! I don't know!" Suzaku said, "G-1! G-1!"

"Suzaku! Oh thank god you're alright!" Euphemia said.

"Hey! What about Lloyd and Cecile?! They were caught in that damn landslide!" Rai exclaimed.

"Like I said, I can feel that they're still alive!" Suzaku said, "Princess, how's—"

"Hear me Britannia!" A voice boomed from the mountain.

Suzaku recognizes that voice. It was—!

"No... impossible..." Suzaku said.

* * *

**Mountain**

There was a flag stuck in the ground. It looked like a bird with a sword through it. There was a Burai with a samurai helmet like head. On top of it was Zero.

"It is I! Zero! Leader of the Black Knights!" Zero said.

_'And I said there wouldn't be any worry of that...'_ Darlton thought, _'I did not think for one second he'd actually be here, inside this very battlefield that we stand on... Am I getting rusty?'_

Cornelia looked absolutely livid upon seeing and hearing the masked man.

"That bastard! How dare he!" Cornelia exclaimed, "How dare he show his face here!"

"Britannia, you have made one fatal mistake in thinking you would be victorious here." Zero said, "Remember this day well, for this day will not only be the day that your aura of invincibility is shattered, but this will also be remembered as the day that a miraculous rebirth has occurred here as your forces are obliterated!"

"The hell?" Darlton asked.

"Seven years ago, you invaded this very soil and claimed it as your own. The sleeping giant that was Japan was laid to rest by your hands. But now, today, seven years after the war, the sleeping giant awakens once again!" Zero said, "This battle was to decide the fate of the resistance movement. If you had won, it would die, along with any and all hope for salvation for the Japanese people, but, if you were to lose, not only would it live, it would be bolstered. You clearly did not think this through hard enough! As a result of this action, the fate of this battle has now gone to my hands!"

"That bastard!" Darlton said.

Mihaly looked at the masked man.

"So that's Zero..." Mihaly said.

"For seven long years after Itsukushima, the resistance movement has fought long and hard enough, but now, that has changed. It has changed because of me!" Zero said, "And now, with this act, not only will I shatter your invincibility, but I will show you just how weak and frail you are in comparison to those who have struggled to obtain happiness!"

"You fool!" Cornelia interjected, "You think Britannia will lose?! You are a fool! A fool fighting for some country that no longer exists!"

"Correction Cornelia." Zero said, "I fight for a future. A future where the world will be a better place, a world free from the terrors of this world. A world where the strong do not devour the weak, a world where the weak are protected, a world where there can be everlasting peace for many generations to come."

"A future made up from your own fantasy!" Cornelia said, "A future that is worth nothing!"

"Wrong!" Zero howled, "The future Britannia wants is worthless! It is one in constant conflict! A world where the weak are devoured by the strong! That is a future that means nothing!"

"You—!"

"You who have underestimated the resolve of the Japanese, now you will be punished for your arrogance!" Zero said, "Katase!"

* * *

**JLF Base**

"Deploy the Inazumas! Charge up the Amaterasu and have it ready to fire!" Katase said, "Reorganize our troops into an attack formation! We'll slam right into the enemy again and again! Have the Raikos out and ready to fire! We're gonna break through their forces and crush every enemy ahead of us!"

"Nippon Banzai!" The soldiers said.

"We'll crush the enemy and show them the spirit and pride of the Japanese and shows these Britannians just how determined we are in bringing forth the rise of a new Japan!" Katase said, "Long Live the New Japan!"

"Nippon Banzai!" The soldiers said.

The Inazuma railguns, tall and mighty, we're beginning rise up from out of the mountain. The barrels extended as the coils lit up. An experimental sakuradite shell was loaded in. The Amaterasu was a giant pod with lenses. It had capacitors hooked up to it. Coolant pipes were connected to it. The pod was beginning to charge up as the sakuradite core was beginning to run.

* * *

**Mountain**

Darlton saw the large railguns come out of the mountain. There were seven in total.

"What the hell are those?" Darlton asked.

Snow saw the giant cannons take aim.

"What the hell?!" Snow said, "What are those things?!"

Mihaly felt something bad was going to happen.

"All Squadrons! This is SkyEye! We are picking up sakuradite from those cannons! I repeat! We are picking up sakuradite from those cannons! Get clear! They could be—!"

The cannons fired the rounds at high velocity using electromagnetic waves at the sky. Suddenly, giant pink flashes went off. The units engulfed in the flashes were hit hard and were destroyed by the flashes. Huge shockwaves hit the aerial forces. The pressure was so great that the wings and thrusters were getting crushed by the pressure. Somersets were losing control. They crashed into each other and crashed towards the ground. The Ikaros were being subjected to huge amounts of pressure from the shockwaves. Snow was trying to keep his Ikaros from losing control.

"I'm losing control!"

"What's going on?!"

"I can't control it! I'm going down!"

"Eject! Eject!"

"Climb! Climb! We gotta get out of here!"

"Head for the deck!"

"No! I don't want to die!"

"Ejecting!"

"Just run!"

"H-Help me!"

"Get out of there!"

"NOOOOOO!"

* * *

Cornelia watched as the aerial forces were being absolutely destroyed by the cannons.

"Princess... is this..." Guilford was at a lost for words.

"By god..." Cornelia said, _'All these men... They're all... They're all being annihilated...'_

* * *

**Town**

Suzaku looked in disbelief as to what he was seeing.

"Burst weapons..." Suzaku said.

"Huh?" Rai asked.

"So they did it... they managed to turn sakuradite into a weapon..." Suzaku said, "DAMNIT!"

He slammed his fist on the console, "Even after my father's death... they just... DAMNIT!"

* * *

**North Point Air Base**

"Super weapons?!" Orson exclaimed, "You mean the enemy had super weapons with them and we didn't know about them?!"

"I'm sorry sir, that's all we know!" An officer said.

"Scrambling everything we've got in the hangars! We got to turn this around right now!" Orson said, "The Air Force will not tolerate this! We are getting the ground forces out of there right now!"

* * *

**Government Bureau**

"This can not be!" Nonette said, "You mean Zero was there on the mountain waiting for them?!"

"Yes my lord, what shall—"

"Have my personal forces ready! We move out! Get my Gloucester ready on the double!" Nonette said.

"Yes my lord!" The soldier said.

Nonette bit her lip as she got up and left the room, _'Nelly... No!'_

* * *

**Narita**

A giant pod came out of the mountain. A pink light glowed from the lenses. Darlton activates his factsphere to see that it was giving off sakuradite. The pod was pointed up. A pink ray of light shot out and began moving. The ray of light sliced a Somerset in half. The aerial forces were being wiped out by both super weapons.

"By god..." Darlton said.

The Ikaros' EM armor deflects the beam.

"All aerial... get out... too danger..."

_'There's too much static!'_ Snow thought.

Mihaly got to safety by reaching for the deck. He took his inhaler and breathed into it again. Some Somersets joined him. He watched as his countrymen were being killed in the sky.

The cannons stopped and the laser deactivated. Both weapons retreated inside. The aerial forces had been wiped out with the exception of some survivors. Zero drew his sword as Burai came out and were about to attack as they moved into formation. His sword shined the sunlight as it pierced the clouds.

"The time has come to deal the enemy a lethal blow!" Zero said, "Nippon..."

He thrust his sword forward.

"... BANZAI!" The combined resistance forces howled as they launched their counterattack.

The counterattack of the combined resistance forces was launched. Darlton watched as they charged down the summit.

"Is this the end sir? Are we going to die here?" A soldier asked.

Darlton didn't know how to answer that question. He didn't know what to do. He looked to a photo of who appeared to be a woman with nice blonde hair who looked 6 months pregnant with golden eyes. Tears came from his eyes as he thought of his colleagues, his sons, and the princess.

_'Is this my fate? To die on this accursed land? On this damn mountain? Is my tenure as her majesty's knight, as a soldier, as a father, and as a commander to end here like this?'_ Darlton thought, _'Ezmeralda... Forgive me... it seems my promise might not be kept any longer.'_

* * *

Rei watched as they charged into battle. He raised his Byakuen's right arm and formed a red blade.

"Now! We attack the enemy from behind!" Rei said, "Charge!"

He charged in with the Blood of the Samurai following him and the Yamato Kids.

_'I'll do it! I'll bring a miracle in this battle!'_ Rei thought, _'We'll win this for sure!'_

The battle for Narita has changed. Now the odds were in the favor of the combined resistance forces as they charged into battle with high spirits.


	21. Chapter 20: Narita Counterattack

**Chapter 20: Narita Counterattack **

Joseph watched an entire army was swept away by a landslide and watched as the military's aerial troops were destroyed by the powerful super weapons the JLF had in store. Now the battle has been tossed over in favor of the combined forces of the Eleven resistance. He saw the White Knightmare lead an army of brown Sutherlands and a trio of Burai with him. The tide of battle has shifted.

* * *

**Mountain**

The Black Knights led by Zero rushed off to engage Carius's unit that was going in to intercept.

"Smash right through them!" Zero said.

"Let's tear them to shreds!" Tamaki roared as he fired at a Sutherland, shooting its arm off.

* * *

Inoue was with a team of Black Knights with rocket launchers.

"All we have to do is guard their rear." Inoue said, "Fire!"

Three rockets hit the side of a tank and destroyed it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jeremiah rushed in without orders and saw all of Carius's men wiped out. He figured that if he could intercept Zero before he reaches the Princess, he may as well have it all back.

"Lord Jeremiah!" Villetta said as some Purebloods followed her.

"Villetta!" Jeremiah said, "I'd knew you'd come!"

"Lord Kewell took a detachment with him to intercept an enemy force that was coming from outside the encirclement line!" Villetta said.

"An enemy outside the encirclement line?" Jeremiah asked.

"Yes, they appear to be lead by the White Jack, using what appeared to be some kind of new model." Villetta said.

"A new model? As if these Elevens are capable of such technology!" Jeremiah said.

* * *

**Town**

The Purebloods led by Kewell were firing at the Byakuen. It's movements were much faster than the Gloucester or even the Lancelot! Not one bullet could hit it. The Byakuen had its Electromagnetic Accelerator Cannon flip out and took aim at a Sutherland. Rei saw a phantom image of the Sutherland moving to the right.

_'There!'_

He fired the cannon as the Sutherland moved to the right, scoring a hit on the Sutherland on the chest.

"No! How did he get me in one hit?!" A Purebloods asked before his unit exploded.

He retracted the cannon and brought the irregular blade out and swiped it on another Sutherland across the chest, killing the pilot. The blade retracted as a drill came out. It spun up as he went for Kewell's Sutherland. He pierced the Sutherland through with the drill. Kewell was forced to eject from the Sutherland before the drill stabbed through its chest. The drill retracted as the Byakuen raised its arm up.

"We head for the G-1! If we destroy that, we'll break the enemy's morale and crush their leaders in one fell swoop!" Rei said, "Charge!"

The Blood of the Samurai charged in through the breach. Rei looked at the summit.

_'Zero... if you're watching me, then bear witness to my miracle!'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**G-1 Base**

"They've broken through and have changed course!" The first staff officer said, "By god... they're headed for the G-1..."

"What?!" Euphemia asked.

"What do we do?!" The second staff officer asked.

She gave it thought before coming to a decision.

"Have my Gloucester ready and have anyone nearby the G-1 to defend it. Have the Lancelots grab my sister and get her out of there." Euphemia said.

"But madam—"

"We have no other options left! We must do something about this!" Euphemia said, "What about Cornelia?"

"She's practically isolated thanks to the blunder of those Purebloods!" The third officer said, "That damn Orange!"

* * *

**Mountain**

"Zero!" Jeremiah roared as he fired at the units guarding Zero's Burai.

The two Black Knights ejected from their Burai. Jeremiah and the Purists behind him stopped.

"Where are you Zero?! Come and face Jeremiah Gottwald!" Jeremiah challenged.

"Oh? Still in the military?" Zero asked, "Sorry, as much as I want to catch up and all, I have a battle to win Orange boy."

Sheer outrage built up within Jeremiah's voice.

"**ORANGE?!** DIEEEEEE!" Jeremiah roared as he charged in head first.

The Guren Mk2 got in front of Jeremiah's Sutherland and swatted the rifle out of his hands, forcing him to use his tonfas.

"My lord!" Villetta exclaimed.

"Stay out of this! This **my** duel!" Jeremiah said.

"But that Knightmare Frame... I've never seen anything like it." Villetta said, "Could the Elevens have—"

"You think Elevens are capable of such technology?!" Jeremiah questioned as he charged in.

The Guren outmaneuvers the Sutherland and jumped.

_'It's fast!'_ Jeremiah thought.

The Guren forces the Sutherland back and clashed against it with its fork knife. He was struggling against it.

"So this is what got Carius's unit?" Jeremiah asked.

"That right Britannia!" Kallen said, "With this Guren Mk2 we can finally take you on equal footing! Our counterattack starts here and now!"

She reared the right arm back. Jeremiah quickly noticed the arm.

_'That arm—! Something about is dangerous!'_ Jeremiah thought.

"I wouldn't move back if I were you." Naoto said.

"And why not?" Jeremiah asked as he did.

The arm extended out and grabbed his head.

"**That's** why." Naoto said, "Karma is one cruel mistress, ain't it?"

"Sorry." Kallen said as she activated the Radiant Wave Surger.

The high energy heat reaction radiated from the claw and like an infectious disease, spread across the Sutherland. The high energy reaction was causing the Sutherland to expand as if it were a balloon.

"Lord Jeremiah! Eject!" Villetta said.

"No! I can't! Zero! He's right there! He's standing right in front of me!" Jeremiah said, "I must regain my honor and glory for the sake of Lady Marianne!"

_'Mother? Wait! Could he be—?!'_ Lelouch thought, "Kallen! That's—!"

The auto-eject switched on and the cockpit quickly fired off the rockets and flew away from the Sutherland. Kallen tosses the head away as the Sutherland went up in flames. Kallen smiled with confidence.

_'With this Guren Mk2 we'll win!'_ Kallen thought.

"Lord Jeremiah..." Villetta said.

* * *

**Town**

"Damn!" Kewell cursed as he wandered about, now lost in this godforsaken town.

As he wandered about, he saw a cockpit block flying toward his direction. He noticed the parachutes didn't open. Kewell quickly rolled out of the way as the block crashed into the street. He looked to the block and noticed that it looked like it had several bubbles in it. He went over it and wondered if anyone was alive. He touched it, only to scald his hand upon doing so.

He quickly found a crowbar and picked it up. He tries to pry open the block. The hatch opened up and revealed Jeremiah who looked badly injured. He noticed that his left eye was—. Kewell felt sick upon seeing the horrible state Jeremiah's body was in.

_'What the hell...'_ Kewell thought, _'What the hell is going up on that mountain?!'_

* * *

**Mountain**

Darlton has managed to organize what was left of his troops and had them form lines of defense and had them in formation as the enemy was coming down the mountain. He saw a Raiko coming in with Burai protecting it. There were also Burai Raiko types coming down with them along with the Burai Heavy Arms types.

_'They has more than one of those linear cannons?! One was bad enough but more is just—!'_ Darlton thought, _'Not only that, we have an enemy force moving toward the G-1! If we lose that, the damage will be immense!'_

* * *

"Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannons, Fire!" The gunner of the Raiko ordered.

The Raiko and the Burai Raikos fired a salvo of canisters. The canisters came towards the Britannians and released the ball bearings, tearing right through the first line of defense. High Mobility Type and Close Combat Type Burais charged in head first at the enemy. The High Mobility Burais were built for high speed and high maneuvering despite looking more bulky. They had a missile launcher in their shoulder that stored nine missiles inside with a missile launcher over the shoulder. They also had a right arm with a large caliber cannon with a gatling gun under the cannon while the left arm had a electric shock system under the hand. They had hover engines on their backs, allowing to hover over any terrain. The Close Range Type Burai has spike shields in place of the protectors.

The close range Sutherlands pulled out their electromagnetic tonfas and met the enemy's charge. The High Mobility Burai fired missiles at the enemy and fired a barrage of shells and bullets. One High Mobility Burai got up to a Sutherland and thrust its left arm at the Sutherland. The electric shock system is activated and electrifies the Sutherland. The Sutherland exploded. A Close Combat Burai and a Close Range Sutherland clashed with one another and traded blows.

Long Range Burai that had a mini gun built in the left arm started laying out covering fire along with the Special Weapon B Type Burais that had miniguns on their arms and had ammunition fed from the back through a feeding mechanism. Liverpools were being shredded by the bullets. The Heavy Arms Burai fired their bunker buster missiles from the missile launchers on their backs. They also fired missiles from their legs and let off a barrage of grenades from their grenade launchers on their arms. Long range Sutherlands and Pinpoint Break Sutherlands fired back. The missiles battered the battlefield with giant explosions as other Knightmares were being knocked back by these explosions.

* * *

The Canterbury fires again. The round missed the Raiko. Om pulled the Canterbury back.

"General! Our forces are taking a pounding! Are you sure our forces can take any more of this?" Om asked.

"We have no other choice! We got to buy time for the ASEEC Corps to rendezvous with her highness! If we fall here, the enemy will wipe out our forces and attack the Viceroy from behind!" Darlton said, "This battle will be lost if we fall here and lose the Viceroy!"

"And the Sub-Viceroy?!" Om asked.

"I've had what was left of Alex's man to go and back the G-1 up!" Darlton said, "There's no way in hell those Elevens are taking it out!"

* * *

Mihaly took was left of the aerial forces and headed for the Viceroy. There was flak being fired at them as CIWS and SAMs fired at them as well.

"Damn! We'll have to land." Mihaly said, "Thunderhead, this is Sol 1, take out the enemy's anti-air weapons! I'll have the Somersets with me rendezvous with her highness!"

"Got it!" Snow said.

Snow fired at the anti-air weapons on the ground as Mihaly and the Somersets change to Knightmare mode and land.

* * *

**ASEEC Trailer**

Cecile woke up to find Lloyd on top of her. She remembered what happened. He was trying to shield her, which was awfully weird of him. He must have hit his head pretty hard. She went over to the console and tried to communicate to both the Lancelot and the Club. The transmitter was damaged. She had her earpiece on and tried communicating. All she got was static. She was trapped. She went to the front to see the driver unconscious. She noticed that there was mud and dirt. She was trapped in the landslide.

* * *

**Near the G-1**

Euphemia was out in her Gloucester as she organized a defense around the G-1 while medical personnel and the wounded were being evacuated from the G-1. She saw a white Knightmare approaching her with an army of Sutherlands and a team of Burai just behind it.

'The White Jack!' Euphemia thought, "We must buy enough time for everyone to evacuate from the G-1, we'll then scuttle it afterwards."

"Your highness! The Black Knights have pushed through the Purebloods and we have two more enemy units coming at the Viceroy from behind!" The first staff officer said, "General Darlton has ordered the Special Corps to link up with the Viceroy, but we don't know if they can make it past the mud."

_'Suzaku? Yes, he'll do just fine. If he can get my sister out of there, than we can at least escape before things get worse...'_ Euphemia thought, "Do we have any reinforcements coming in?"

"North Point is scrambling everything they have and the Knight of Nine is bringing her personal forces in! If we hold out until then, we might turn this around." The second staff officer said.

"And the evacuation?" Euphemia asked.

"It's been going, but we haven't fully evacuated the wounded out. There's a lot of chaos going on in here." The third officer said.

She felt the weight of the odds against her. Things were just getting worse by the minute. She could only pray for a miracle to happen.

* * *

Meanwhile, Tohdoh had gotten in his Burai Kai, which looked much different from the other Burai. The Kais had antennas on their heads and Tohdoh's Kai was painted white while the Four Holy Swords had their Kais painted with brown. These Kais had a much higher spec than the Burai and had the Revolving Blade Sword that a chainsaw inside the blade along with heat generators that give the blade's edges an orange glow. The trucks were on full auto-pilot.

"Deploy the Burai Kais." Tohdoh said.

"Deploying." The Four Holy Swords said.

The Burais were deployed from the trucks.

"If I'm right about this, we should be able to sneak the enemy from behind and attack Cornelia from below." Tohdoh said, "Capture Cornelia! Make them pay for the war seven years ago!"

"Yes! By the honor of the Four Holy Swords!" The Four Holy Swords said.

The Burai Kais jumped from the trucks. Tohdoh jumped out from the trees and slashed the first Sutherland in sight. In one quick slash, the Sutherland lost its arm and its back exploded as it fell over. The landspinners come down.

"Surround them!" Tohdoh ordered.

"Wilco!" The Holy Swords said as they charged in.

The Holy Swords dodged incoming fire and slashed a few Sutherlands.

"These aren't just any Burais." Tohdoh said.

"It's like in seven years ago, only this time, we have Knightmare Frames as well." China said.

"No argument there." Asahina said.

"Here here!" Urabe said.

"Careful now, you don't want to end up like a skinned rabbit." Senba said.

* * *

Cornelia watched as her men were being attacked.

"The Japan Liberation Front?" Cornelia asked.

"Protect her Highness! Don't let them through!" Guilford ordered.

"Sir Guilford, the Special Corps are headed your way. Captain Durandal is also making his way to you as well." Darlton said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to help. My forces can only hold the enemy back and the Sub-Viceroy is setting up defenses around the G-1."

"So we got only the Special Corps and Durandal to get us out of this mess." Guilford said, "Wait, why is the Sub-Viceroy—"

"Don't tell me an enemy force is headed for it already!" Cornelia said.

"I'm afraid that's exactly what's going on." Darlton said.

Cornelia's eyes widened upon hearing that. She was beginning to panic.

"No! Euphie!" Cornelia said as she went into panic mode.

She moved her Gloucester and tried to get to the foot of the mountain, but Guilford stops her.

"Guilford! Please! Let me go!" Cornelia begged.

"That's what they want you to do! It's a trap!" Guilford said.

"But Euphie—! She's—!"

"Who's commanding the enemy force?" Guilford asked.

"The..." Darlton paused, "The White Jack. He's got the Blood of the Samurai and the Yamato Trio with him."

"That boy?" Cornelia asked.

"Boy? What boy?" Darlton asked, "Wait, you're not saying the White Jack is—!"

"I'm afraid it is so." Guilford said, "The White Jack is... a child soldier."

"Those bastards..." Darlton said, "Using children as soldiers... how could they?"

"That's strange, coming from you." Durandal said, "You put five of your own children in the military, didn't you, General?"

"That is an entirely different thing all together Durandal!" Darlton said as he got defensive on that remark, "I did it so they wouldn't have to depend on me to survive! I had to so they would be able to look after each other!"

"And?" Durandal asked, "This is war. Like it or not, he's the enemy. If you don't kill him, he'll kill you."

"Now you've gone too far!" Darlton said.

"Cornelia!" Tohdoh said as he charged at Guilford.

"Are you the one they call Tohdoh?!" Guilford asked as he quickly turned and blocked Tohdoh's sword with his lance.

He forced him back. Tohdoh looked at the Gloucester and drew his rifle. Guilford fired a harken to knock the rifle out of Tohdoh's hand.

"And you are one of Cornelia's Knights I presume?" Tohdoh asked as he dodged a burst of bullets fired by Guilford.

Tohdoh picked up the rifle and fired at Guilford. He dodged the incoming bullets and withdrew the rifle.

"Gilbert G.P. Guilford," Guilford said, "And you are Kyoshiro Tohdoh, the Miracle Worker?"

"And If I am?" Tohdoh asked as he did the same and prepped his sword.

"Then it will at least be an honor to face you one on one." Guilford said as he prepared his lance, "Now come at thee with all you've got!"

"Took the words out of my mouth!" Tohdoh said as the two rushed at each other.

They clashed with one another. Guilford turned to the Princess, "The Special Corps will come and get you out! You must fall back your highness!"

"Guilford..." Cornelia said and nodded, "Drive them back and meet me at point nine, tell Durandal and the Special Corps that as well."

"Nine?" Guilford asked, "I understand!"

"Cornelia!" Senba and Urabe roared.

"Insolent worms!" Cornelia howled as she forced the two Elevens back away from her.

She ran off, leaving the Holy Swords with her Royal Guard.

* * *

**JLF Base**

Tohdoh showed up on the screen. Katase looked happy to see him.

"Tohdoh! You came!" Katase said.

"Sorry if we were late General. I'm guessing Zero came to you and was substituting for me while I was away?" Tohdoh asked.

"Yes, thanks to him, the Britannians are rattled. The Byakuen is leading an attack on the enemy's rear. They'll eliminate them soon enough." Katase said, "With your arrival we can finish the enemy off in one fell swoop!"

"Good, do we have anyone to spare?" Tohdoh asked.

"We have a unit that's backing up Zero." Katase said.

"I see then." Tohdoh said, "And our forces?"

"Minimal casualties." Katase said.

"Hmph! As I expected from Zero." Tohdoh said, "I guess my assumptions were right."

"Sir! Enemy aerial reinforcements! They're headed for Cornelia! Not only that, but that large Knightmare is destroying our anti-air weapons." A soldier said.

"Hmph!" Katase said, "Ready the Inazuma! Blast that thing out of the sky and eliminate the aerial reinforcements!"

"Right!" The soldier said.

* * *

**Mountain**

The Inazumas came out of the mountain. One of them took aim at Snow. It fired at Snow and punched a hole in the Ikaros. Snow got the core Sutherland out of the Ikaros before it exploded. He ejected from the Sutherland. The other guns fired at VTOLs and bombers deployed from North Point. The explosions decimated the aerial reinforcements. The guns retreated back inside.

The Lancelot and the Club were making their way up the mountain. Schnee and Ledo made their way to the G-1 to back up Euphemia. Suzaku was worried about her.

"Don't worry Suzaku, she'll be fine." Rai said, "She's a tough girl."

"Yeah, but she doesn't have any combat experience. That and she's fighting someone who almost had Durandal." Suzaku said.

"Like I said, she'll be fine!" Rai said, "I'm more worried about Lloyd and Cecile right now. You think they'll be ok?"

"Trust me, they won't die." Suzaku said.

* * *

At the foot of the mountain, Liverpools and Sutherlands were firing at the approaching Blood of the Samurai led by Rei in the Byakuen. He evaded the incoming fire directed at him. He flipped the cannon out and shot at the Sutherlands ahead of him. The shells hit the Sutherlands on the head, forcing the pilots to eject.

"Alright! Trinity Formation!" Rei said, "Just like I planned it!"

"Right!" The Yamato Kids said.

The Yamato Kids formed a triangle around the Byakuen with Koji in the back, and Aya with Akihiro in the front. Akihiro started firing his cannons at the enemy. His shells hit a few Sutherlands and Liverpools a few times, destroying them. Aya rushes at the Sutherlands and flipped her tonfas out. She attacks a Sutherland and smacks one out of her way as Akihiro fires at that Sutherland and destroyed it. Koji sniped a Liverpool and sniped another one. Rei merges the two irregular blades together into a combined blade. He swings the blade at a Sutherland and cuts it down.

Schnee was firing at Koji. Koji evaded the incoming bullet and aimed at Schnee. Schnee fires, only for Koji to evade it and shoot Schnee in the head. Schnee's Sutherland fell down as he ejected. Akihiro kept firing at Ledo who had his shield up and kept tanking the hits.

"An energy shield?" Akihiro asked.

"Not a problem if I'm behind him!" Aya said as she got behind Ledo.

"Like hell you can hit me like that!" Ledo said as he swung the rifle with the bayonet.

Aya blocked the bayonet and jumped back.

"Got ya!" Akihiro said as he shot at the back.

The Sutherland was hit. Ledo was forced to eject due to the damage causing his Sutherland to be no longer functional. Rei rushed at Euphemia, who blocked the incoming blade. She forced the Byakuen back. She thrusts the lance. The Byakuen's blade became a scissor and caught the lance. The Byakuen delivers a mean roundhouse kick to the face and knocks the Gloucester to the side. The Gloucester rolled up until Euphemia got back up. She charged in.

"Stay away from these people!" Euphemia said.

Rei blocked the attack with the scissors and threw the Gloucester off to the side. Euphemia got back up and panted in exhaustion.

"Princess! You have to save yourself! It's not worth it!" Ledo told her.

"Please! Think of the people in Area 11! They'd lose hope if they lose you and the Viceroy!" Schnee said.

"I can't..." Euphemia said, "Not until... everyone has gotten away!"

Rei was beginning to feel pressure on him.

_'This pressure—! An Overman!'_ Rei thought.

"If I don't protect these people, then by what right should I bear the title of Princess?" Euphemia asked.

Rei swapped his mag out. He looked at the Gloucester with intensity.

"Move aside! Do you want to die?!" Rei asked, "Why protect the very people who perpetuate this horrible system?!"

* * *

Mihaly contacted Guilford and said that he was on his way to support him.

"What about Zero? Do you have his location?" Guilford asked.

"We have his projected course here." Mihaly said.

He saw the data he was receiving and found himself in shock. That heading and those coordinates—!

"Princess Cornelia!" Guilford howled.

There was a silence. Did she fall right into-

"I already got the message, Guilford." Cornelia said.

Guilford's eyes widened upon hearing that.

* * *

Cornelia and the Guren Mk2 were standing against one another.

_'Great... I waltzed into a trap. Isn't that just great.'_ Cornelia thought, "I'm guessing you're the Red Queen."

"You could say that." Kallen said, "Now let's just get to the point already."

"I guess you're right. Talking wouldn't help make this better." Cornelia said.

"Especially when the situation doesn't exactly favor you, Cornelia." Zero said as he turned the speakers on, "I call checkmate."

"Zero!" Cornelia growled as she turned to him, "You bastard! How many more of my men must you slaughter until you have what you want?!"

"When you surrender and negotiate with me, maybe I'll stop." Zero said, "Or does your pride mean more to you than the lives of those you care most dear?"

"You sick bastard—!"

The Guren Mk2 grabbed Cornelia from behind.

"The hell?! It's that fast?!" Cornelia asked.

"That's right. That's no custom built unit. It is the result of hard effort into making a Knightmare to stand against Britannia." Zero said.

_'So I was right to suspect the NAC after all! Those bastards! If I had the evidence to pin them to this, then I'd—!'_ Cornelia thought, "You think you can defeat me?! I'm the Goddess of Victory!"

"Oh really? Well then I guess that makes me the demon who will bring you your downfall, starting with my student's work." Zero said.

"Student?" Cornelia asked.

* * *

Back on the foot of the mountain, Rei knocked the Gloucester out of his way and jumped onto the bridge of the G-1 and took aim. Euphemia saw the gun aimed at the bridge.

"NO! LET THEM GO! TAKE ME INSTEAD!" Euphemia pleaded.

Rei fires at the bridge. The shell hits the bridge and exploded, killing the staff officers inside. He swapped the mag out with a grenade and loaded it in. He saw a red dot in front of him and at a distance. Euphemia saw him aim the cannon right where the engine room was.

"STOP IT!" Euphemia screamed.

He fired the grenade at that spot. The grenade hits the engine room and slams down onto the floor. The men there scattered like rats. One of them flinched as the grenade was about to go off. There wasn't an explosion. He smiled.

"It's a dud! It's a dud!" The man said.

Suddenly, a red flash of energy much like the Radiant Wave Surger came out. The high energy reaction melted the poor man down and burnt everyone in the engine room and caused the engine to overheat quickly and exploded along with the engine.

* * *

Rei got off the G-1 as it buckled. The G-1 suddenly bursted into flames as a huge explosion rocked all who were near. Those who had not evacuated were caught in a series of explosions. It was until the entire G-1 exploded into a miniature mushroom cloud that Euphemia had watched all those people die in those explosions and heard their screams. Seeing the horrible atrocity happen before her made her eyes water with tears and her voice choking on sobs in her throat.

Akihiro was howling like a wolf as Koji looked in surprise. Aya looked at the Byakuen with wonder and a smile. The Blood of the Samurai raised their weapons and let off a victorious war cry. Takamura raises his weapon.

"Next up! We take the enemy from behind!" Takamura said, "Charge!"

The Blood of the Samurai went off to attack Darlton's troops from behind.

"I'll help the Blood of the Samurai, you guys go and back up Zero!" Rei said.

"But what about Tohdoh? I heard he joined the party, so why not help him?" Ren asked.

"I guess he's got a point there." Akihiro said, "We'll provide Tohdoh some back up! Good hunting!"

The two boys headed out. Rei left the smoldering remains of the G-1 behind. Aya followed him. Rei noticed Aya was following him.

"Aya-chan?" Rei asked, "Why are you—?"

"You need someone to protect you, don't you?" Aya asked.

"You're not Kallen Oneechan." Rei said, "Besides, I already have enough girls in my head as it is."

"Am I one of them?" Aya asked.

"W-What?! Did I say that?!" Rei asked.

"You kinda did." Aya said.

"No I didn't!" Rei said, "Let's just go already!"

While Rei and Aya went up the mountain, Euphemia could only look traumatized as she looked at the smoldering remains of the G-1. She looked at her hands. They were shaking. She couldn't do anything to save those people who were evacuating. They were killed, just like that.

"No... no..." She sobbed, "I couldn't protect them... I... I... Oh god... Sister... I'm sorry..."

* * *

**JLF Base**

"It's a positive! The G-1 has been destroyed!" A soldier said, "Our forces are pushing through the enemy! We might just break out of their encirclement!"

Katase looked surprised by what he saw, "Destroying the G-1... unbelievable."

"It's a miracle! It's a miracle General!" Another soldier said.

_'That it is...'_ Katase thought, _'With Zero and Tohdoh with us, we'll never lose!'_

* * *

**Mountain**

Darlton saw the smoldering smoke coming from the G-1. He looked devastated.

"No... not the G-1 of all things..." Darlton said to himself.

"General Darlton!" A male soldier said as a Sutherland pushed him out of the way as a close combat Burai punched it in the chest.

The soldier screamed in pain as he was getting crushed inside the cockpit. His Sutherland fell in combat. Darlton shot the Burai. The shell hit its chest, destroying it. Darlton went over to the soldier who was screaming in pain.

"It hurts! It hurts!" The soldier said.

"You're gonna be alright soldier! Stay with me!" Darlton said, "You're going to live goddamnit!"

"It hurts General! It hurts!" The soldier said, "My legs! My arms! My chest! It all hurts!"

"Breathe man! Breathe!" Darlton said as he pulled the Sutherland back behind the Canterbury, "You're not gonna die here!"

The soldier breathed and ceased his screaming. He felt horrible and weak. He breathed raggedly.

"Sir... I don't feel so good." The soldier said, "I don't want to go... I don't want to go..."

"You're not going anywhere!" Darlton said, "Hey! Hey!"

"R-Rachel... I'm... sorry..." The soldier said before his life slipped away.

The Sutherland slumped.

"Damnit!" Darlton roared, _'This can't be how it ends!'_

* * *

Mihaly ejected as his Somerset was badly damaged. Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords had surrounded Guilford and his remaining men.

"Colonel! We've crushes the enemy's reinforcements!" Senba said.

"Good, now we go into Spiraling Life and Death Formation!" Tohdoh said, "Let's finish this!"

"Wilco!" The Holy Swords acknowledged.

The Burai Kais moved in a circle surrounding Guilford and his men. Guilford noticed his men were losing hope rapidly.

"Stand your ground! We mustn't falter!" Guilford said as he blocked an incoming blow to increase the morale of his men, "We must fight for the Princess! She needs us now more than ever!"

He thought of Cornelia, _'Princess... I...'_

* * *

"You bastard! What did you do to Euphie?!" Cornelia demanded, "Answer me, damn you!"

"It would seem my student has learned a rather important lesson in strategy making." Zero said, "By the time he's done with the rest of your forces fighting against the JLF, you'll be losing one of your knights and that precious little siege engine of yours. Knowing him, he'll be joining us shortly after he accomplishes his task."

"You—!" Cornelia roared.

She knocked the Guren off of her and went straight for Zero. Naoto jumped in and kicked the Gloucester down.

"Now where were we before I blew up that mountain again? Oh yeah, I was winning." Naoto said.

"You—!"

"Me!" Naoto said.

"I should have just killed you when I had the chance than listen to your blathering!" Cornelia said.

"You could have done that, but you didn't." Naoto said, "You brought this on yourself and no other."

"Pinning the blame of my misfortune unto me?!" Cornelia said, "You cowardly uncultured swine! You spurn a good duel and then say I have brought defeat down unto myself?!"

"Correct." Naoto said, "Now be a good girl and get out before daddy has to force you out."

"Go to hell." Cornelia said, "I'd rather die than be your captive!"

Naoto sighed, "Welp, I tried being nice, but I guess playing nice wasn't your strong suit."

"Naoto! Kallen! Move!" Zero said, "He's coming!"

"Huh?" Naoto asked, "Wait! Right now?!"

The ground suddenly shook. The two siblings got away as an explosion occurred. The Lancelot and the Club came out of a hole that was made and got to the Gloucester.

"Your Highness! We're here to get you out!" Suzaku said.

"But what about Euphie! Is she alright?!" Cornelia asked.

"Shes Fine... she's just... shaken from seeing the G-1..."

"Look, can we just grab her and leave before Darlton or Guilford kick the bucket? Because it would be really bad if either of them kick the bucket!" Rai said.

"That Knightmare... great... now we got a third Lancelot." Naoto said, "Whats next, they're gonna build a thousand of them?"

Lelouch looked at the Lancelot, _'Suzaku... I didn't want to engage you, but my side has motive.'_

"Guren Mk2, deal with them both. I shall deal with Cornelia." Zero said.

"Got it!" Kallen said as she charges at the Lancelot.

Suzaku drew out an MVS, turned the blade red, and fired the VARIS at the Guren. The Guren dodged the incoming energy beams.

"It's fast as the Lancelot?" Suzaku asked, "In that case..."

"No! Lancelot! Stay away from that red Knightmare! The Pilot is much better than you!" Cornelia said as Suzaku charged, "Kururugi, don't!"

He swung his sword. The Guren activates the Radiant Wave Surger and catches the sword. The sword begins to succumb to the high energy reaction and break apart. He fired the VARIS at close range. The Guren blocks the shot by activating the Radiant Wave Surger again.

"It stopped the VARIS?!" Suzaku asked.

"Don't worry buddy! I got you!" Rai said as he jumped in.

The beam disintegrated and the Radiant Wave Surger deactivated. Kallen evades the Club's attack and came at him. She fired the hand cannon at the Club. The rifle was hit. Rai got rid of the rifle. He brought out his double spear MVS. He charged at the Guren. The Guren disappears.

"Where did she—?!"

He felt a danger behind him and turned around. The right arm reached out for him.

_'Damnit! No!'_ Rai thought.

Suzaku tackles the Guren to the ground.

"Go! I'll hold her off! Just get the Viceroy!" Suzaku said.

"And leave you?!" Rai asked.

"Just do it!" Suzaku said.

Rai went over to help Viceroy Cornelia as she went after Zero, only for the Blue King to stop her.

"Get out of my way!" Cornelia said.

"I'll move when you tell me that you are totally not going to kill Zero and will just politely ask for his autograph." Naoto said.

"You still dare to sass me?!" Cornelia asked.

"Oh? Did I hurt the Goddess's feelings?" Naoto asked.

He saw the Club and quickly backed away.

"Your highness! You must retreat! There's no way we can continue fighting like this under these conditions, therefore I insist you go with us!" Rai said.

"And let the man who not only killed the members of my Royal Guard, but has brought me nothing but disgrace to go scot free and do whatever he damn wants?!" Cornelia asked, "MOVE ASIDE!"

"Yeah blue boy! You're just dead weight!" Naoto said as he kicked the Club out of the way, "Now then, where we're we?"

The Club got back up. Naoto ducked out of the way and backed away from the Club.

"Alright Blue Boy, you've had your fun, but the adults are talking." Naoto said, "Now why don't you help your big brother before he bites the dust."

Rai looked to Suzaku to see him struggling against the Guren Mk2. The Lancelot kicked the Guren back. The Guren charged at Suzaku. He quickly jumped. Kallen quickly reacted quick and fired a harken to knock him off. He fell towards the wall of the canyon. Rai quickly rushed over to him. Just as Kallen was going to finish it, she saw the Club coming to her and kicked it off to the side.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rei and Aya were charging towards the enemy forces. They quickly turned to see Rei and Aya coming to him.

"The White Jack!" A soldier said, "Don't panic! Just take him out!"

The other soldiers turned and started shooting.

"Behind us?!" Darlton said as he looked behind him, "Oh Damnit! The G-1 just isn't enough for them, now is it?!"

The Blood of the Samurai backed the two up as they pushed through the enemy. The Canterbury turned and fired at the Byakuen. Rei dodged the incoming projectile. Aya did the same, but the explosion tossed her Burai off.

"Aya! You—!" Rei said as he rushed to the Canterbury.

He fired his cannon at the Canterbury. The armor deflected the shells. Not one shell was going to penetrate.

"That won't work at that range! Not against the Canterbury!" Om said.

He swapped the mag with one of the grenades he had left and aimed at the Canterbury. He fired the grenade at it. The grenade hits the Canterbury and penetrates it. The high energy reaction discharge followed suit.

"What the hell?!" Om said, "No... this can't be how the Jack managed to—!"

The grenade exploded as the high energy reaction caused the Canterbury to look bubbly before it violently exploded. Darlton saw the Canterbury explode.

"Om! No!" Darlton said, "You bastard!"

He charged at the White Jack completely half-cocked. Rei withdrew the gun and brought out the drill and ducked under a cannon shot before thrusting the drill in. The drill tore through the Knightmare as it tore through Darlton's guts and splatters his blood over the cockpit and crushed his bones. Rei pulls the drill out of the Gloucester as it falls to its knees. Darlton was rapidly approaching the cold embrace of death. All he could think about was all his colleagues, his sons, his friends and allies, and lastly...

_'Ezmeralda...'_

Of course, the woman in that photo. That woman was his wife, Ezmeralda Darlton. She was a beautiful young woman who had captivated his heart when he first joined the military. She was just a regular girl back then. However, even after their marriage and that her pregnancy was running smoothly, disaster struck him like a wrecking ball. His wife had died of an illness that even the doctors could not cure her of. All they did was buy her time for her to say her last words to her husband before she breathed her last. She made him promise to live out his life as a happy man no matter what. Even so, his heart was left with sorrow. The boys he adopted made him happy, but when he thought about their survival, he put them in the military so that they could be able to survive without their father needing to be present.

But now that promise was being slowly broken by the approaching embrace of death. With all the strength he had left, he ordered his men to retreat. To retreat and escape and survive. Before his time ran out, he made one last call to his princess.

"Princess Cornelia... I'm sorry..." Darlton said.

* * *

Cornelia was quickly distracted by Darlton's voice and noticed that it sounded different.

"Darlton?" Cornelia asked.

"It seems... my time has come." Darlton said, "I have served my purpose and my time has now reached an end."

She quickly realized what his words meant and her eyes widened.

"The battle is lost your highness... you must... guh!" Darlton said as he coughed out blood, "You must live... that is all I ask..."

"No... no! Darlton!" Cornelia said as her eyes bursted into tears, "Please! I've lost enough people who were close to me! I can't lose you! Not after Clovis, not after Lelouch and Nunnally... I... I can't bear to lose anymore people to this accursed land!"

* * *

Rei headed to the base to have his energy filler replaced. He ordered Aya to go and back up the Four Holy Swords. As he kept going, he felt... loyalty. He felt loyalty coming from the Gloucester he pierced with his drill. There was also sadness and remorse. He also felt sadness coming from another direction. He got inside the base and pulled into the hangar. The maintenance crews came up to the Byakuen.

"Hurry up! Replace the Energy Filler!"

"Resupply the Byakuen as soon as possible before she heads out again!"

"Hurry it up!"

"Go go!"

"Check everything!"

The maintenance crews went to work with the energy fillers and maintenance. Rei opened the cockpit and stretched. A woman running maintenance gave Rei some water so he could drink up. He drank some water.

* * *

Cornelia was begging Darlton to live, but she knew that he was a dead man by the sound of his voice. Her voice cracked as she begged and begged.

"Please Your Highness... That's not who you are." Darlton said, "You are the Goddess of Victory... act like it."

"But how can I if I lose anymore people that I care about?" Cornelia asked, "Especially if one of them is one of my knights?"

He couldn't bear to hear the Princess talk with such sadness within her voice.

"Tell the boys that I'm counting on them to do their best, and that goes for Kururugi and Rai as well..." Darlton said, "I guess... this is it then..."

"No! Darlton! Please! Don't go! Don't leave me!" Cornelia begged.

"Forgive me... everyone... I guess... this is where I... die..." Darlton said, "Live... Princess..."

He breathed his last before he smiled and moved no more. The cold embrace of death hung him like a noose. Andreas Darlton... was dead.


	22. Chapter 21: Curtain Call

**Chapter 21: Curtain Call**

Rei had launched his Byakuen back onto the battlefield and was heading to Zero's position. He was worried about the Black Knights and was rushing to them as quick as he could. He didn't want to keep them waiting for long. He headed toward Zero's position quickly. He felt as though he needed to be by Zero's side.

* * *

Euphemia had organized what was left of Darlton's own troops and was heading up the mountain to go and grab Cornelia. Her earpiece came to life.

"Sub-Viceroy, I'm here." A recognizable voice spoke.

"N—Nonette?" Euphie said.

"Sorry I was late. I was informed of everything that happened here. You have the Purebloods to thank for that." Nonette said, "I'll be heading for Nelly, I trust that my personal forces will hold. You're with me Sub-Viceroy."

Nonette's forces had used a train to get past the enemy's anti air weapons and go in from the ground. They were steadily climbing the mountain.

_'Nelly, I'm getting you out of there.'_ Nonette thought.

* * *

Durandal was on his way to the Viceroy's position.

_'I'm sure after all those stunts he pulled, he's probably heading for Zero's position. If I beat him there first...'_ Durandal thought.

He pushed the Grail to maximum speed and rushed to Zero's current position, hoping to catch the masked man.

* * *

Cornelia was charging with nothing but rage in her. No matter how many times Suzaku pleaded with her to calm down, all she could focus was Zero. She just wanted his head. The Witch of Britannia wanted the head of her brother's killer. This accursed land has done terrible things to her enough. First it was her siblings Lelouch and Nunnally, then it was her younger brother Clovis, now it had taken one a great friend that was her knight, Andreas Darlton. Any line of rational thinking that held her emotions in a restraint had been blown away just like that. She could no longer hide her rage and sorrow, it was mostly her anger as her sorrow was drowned out by her roaring. All that was left as a sign of sorrow were her own tears and probably in her voice.

Naoto saw what was happening.

"Could you two do something about her?" Naoto asked, "Kinda busy with the smurf here!"

The two Burai were knocked out of the way as soon as they tried stopping her. Zero kept his distance from the Gloucester as it thrusts the lance in its hand over and over again. Lelouch was panicking inside the Burai. He couldn't believe this side of Cornelia. It was her pure rage that was now trying to kill him. Her pure and undaunted rage had let loose and was now out to get him. He didn't want to kill her because that would pretty much gut the one opportunity to find out the one responsible for his mother's death. He didn't know exactly what would calm her down. She was too damn angry to even have any sort of reasoning connect with her. He was cornered. Cornelia had boxed him into a wall. He could have sworn he was hearing her laughing.

"You're mine... I have you right where you are..." Cornelia said, "YOUR LIFE IS IN **MY** HANDS!"

A black slash harken grabbed the lance. The lance was pulled away from her as the Byakuen came out from behind the trees.

"You damn brat—!"

He tossed the lance back at the Gloucester. The lance goes through the chest. Cornelia was pierced and wounded horribly. Rei looks to damaged Gloucester as it staggered before him. Cornelia's Gloucester fell on its side and dropped its rifle. Lelouch breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Well done... my student..." Lelouch said, "You saved me..."

"Sorry I was late, I—"

"NO!" Suzaku exclaimed.

He knocked the Guren off of him and rushed towards the Byakuen. He was angry now. He was angry over what had happened in front of him. Kallen tried to stop him, but sword harkens came out of nowhere and stopped her. She turned to see the Grail come out.

"It's not my style to fight a lady, but there can be only one red ace on this battlefield." Durandal said.

Suzaku came at the Byakuen and charged with its remaining sword out. Rei blocks the sword with his combined blade. He kicks the Lancelot back. The Lancelot recovered and aimed the VARIS at him. Rei moves to the right and brings the cannon out.

_'There!'_

Suzaku snapped his aim to the right and fired.

_'Shoot!'_

Rei rolled out of the way and fired back at the Lancelot. Suzaku dodged the shot and fired back. Rei dodged that shot and brought the blade out and rushed at Suzaku. The two clashed with each other.

_'It's like he knows every move I'm trying to make!'_ Suzaku thought.

_'So he's an Overman too!'_ Rei thought.

Euphemia and Nonette arrived to see Cornelia's damaged Gloucester. Euphemia looked horrified when she saw it. Nonette looked devastated upon seeing the Gloucester. She went down to go and grab it. Euphemia jumped in to go and save her sister from the clutches of death.

Tamaki and Ohgi surround the Gloucester. The Knight of Nine quickly smacked Tamaki's Burai away with her shield and cuts Ohgi's Burai, promoting the two to eject. She turned to Zero and rammed her Gloucester against his Burai.

"Hurry! Grab her and run! I'll cover you!" Nonette said.

Euphemia puts her rifle away and grabs her sister's Gloucester. She runs off with it.

_'Damnit!'_ Kallen thought as she tried to stop the Gloucester from leaving with Cornelia.

Durandal stopped the Guren's advance.

"Move aside!" Kallen said as she thrusts her right arm at the Red Comet.

Durandal slips the swords into his wrists and turns the Blaze Luminous on. The Sword Blazers withstand the Radiant Wave Surger as he thrusts his sword at it.

"Like two magnets pushing against one another..." Durandal said, "Too bad that right arm has the only dangerous weapon you have!"

He quickly moved and cuts the Guren's right arm off. She tries to stab the Grail with her fork knife, but he severs the arm off.

"Move aside." Durandal said.

He kicks the Guren out of his way, only to see the Lancelot get its arms cut off by the Byakuen. Rei uses the irregular blade to cut the Lancelot across the chest. The Lancelot falls to the ground.

"Suzaku!" Nonette exclaimed as she bashed the Byakuen back with her shield.

She grabs the damaged Lancelot.

"Rai! We are leaving!" Nonette said, "Don't worry boy! I have you! You'll be fine!"

Durandal rushes at the Byakuen. Rei is knocked back.

"Kid!" Naoto said as he tries to help.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in you." Durandal said as he fired his sword harkens at the Burai.

The blue Burai was punctured like a pin cushion, forcing Naoto to eject. The two clashed once more. Durandal was impressed with the Byakuen's movements.

"Well little rabbit, you're improving. Now let's see the reaction time of that brand new toy of yours." Durandal said.

"Rei!" Kallen said.

"It's between me and him!" Rei said, "I'll be fine!"

"Besides! You got no arms!" Naoto said.

"But—!"

"We may not be able to catch Cornelia now, but we can still drive the enemy off the mountain." Zero said, "Kallen, retreat! I'll have Sugiyama recover the arms and have the Guren Mk2 repaired!"

"R-Right..." Kallen said, _'Rei...'_

* * *

The Grail and the Byakuen parried each other's blows. Durandal was surprised at how the Byakuen could keep up with the Grail.

_'Impossible! He couldn't compare to me back in Saitama or Shinjuku! So how is he keeping up with me?!'_ Durandal thought, _'Could it be the machine?'_

He backed away and activated the factspheres. He was right on his assumption. The machine's specs were made to combat with 7th Generation Knightmare Frames. The output of the Grail was superior to that of the Byakuen, yet it was using the same sakuradite application as the Lancelot does.

"Such specs..." Durandal said, _'Someone's making new Knightmares for these terrorists... but who? It couldn't be the Elevens... someone must be helping them!'_

_'Durandal's skills are incredible! Even with the Byakuen's specs—!'_ Rei thought, _'Even so! With this Byakuen, I won't lose!'_

The two clashed once more.

"It seems we've underestimated each other!" Durandal said.

"No kidding! I thought my Byakuen would have beaten you!" Rei said.

"Hmph! You maybe a good pilot and our Knightmares are equally matched, but in the end, you're still a child!" Durandal said.

"In that case, I'll just have to go further beyond my limits!" Rei said.

Durandal delivers a kick. The Byakuen vanished.

_'He's gone?!'_ Durandal thought before sending danger behind him, _'No!'_

He spun faster and kicks the Byakuen, who blocks the kick. The Grail jumps over the Byakuen. Rei quickly did a 180 and backed away from the Grail as it fired its sword harkens. The Grail turns around and turns off the Blaze Luminous, causing the swords to break up. He brings out some new swords from his rack.

_'It's not just the machine! It's his skills! They're improving!'_ Durandal thought.

The Byakuen brought its combined blade to bear. The two Knightmares rush at each other and clashed again. The two parties each other nonstop, swords letting off sparks with every impact. CC watched as the two duked it out.

"He's a formidable pilot." CC said, "They're almost on the same level as..."

* * *

Todoh backed off from Guilford. The two were evenly matched. They tried to catch each other's breaths.

"He's fierce..." Tohdoh said.

"Never thought I'd be winded already..." Guilford said before tossing a chaos mine.

"Scatter!" Tohdoh ordered the Four Holy Swords.

They scattered as the shrapnel came down. Meanwhile, the Blood of the Samurai and the Yamato Kids were fighting off the Knight of Nine's personal troops.

"They just keep coming!" Koji said.

"Come on! Is that all you got?!" Akihiro said.

"If things keep going like this, we'll start having serious casualties." Aya said, "Where's the JLF?"

"They'll make it. Just you wait." Asahina said.

"I don't want to die!" Kai said.

"You won't!" Ren said.

Nonette and Euphemia along with Rai were running.

"All force's retreat! We've done enough here! Guilford!" Nonette said.

"R-Right!" Guilford said, "We're leaving!"

He and his men broke out of the encirclement and began their retreat.

"Where do they—!"

"Don't follow!" Tohdoh ordered, "We're low on energy anyways."

That was true, they expended most of their energy in the fighting. The Britannians were in retreat.

* * *

Durandal and Rei were at a stalemate. Neither side was at an advantage. Both were exhausted. Zero interfered with the duel and fired at the Grail, forcing Durandal to break off. He quickly went for the Burai and disarmed it. He forced Zero into ejecting and went past Rei. Rei was in pursuit. The block landed in a forest on the rear side of the mountain. Lelouch got the mask on and went outside before Durandal quickly held him hostage. Rei saw the current situation ahead of him.

"Watch it now, you don't want your fearless leader to die, do you?" Durandal asked.

"Let him go Durandal! It's between you and me!" Rei said.

"Yes that's true, but since you were so bold as to kill 3 top ranking officials inside the G-1 along with several people inside of it, kill a Britannian Knight of royalty, committed attempted regicide, damaged a very expensive prototype and destroyed a very expensive prototype and wiping out most of Darlton's troops, I'm afraid it's only fair I do this." Durandal said, "Besides, I'm sure you'd do anything to protect your leader... or should I say your new father, yes?"

"Let. Him. Go." Rei said.

"And if I don't, you'll kill me?" Durandal asked, "Even so, you'll still be without a leader!"

_'Damnit! He's got me held hostage!'_ Lelouch thought.

Rei felt a strong presence near him. Durandal and Lelouch felt the same thing. The same noise began ringing in their head. CC got behind the Grail and touched it. Her mark began to glow. Suddenly, Durandal's mind began to sink into a white void. Zero turned to see CC.

"You..." Zero said.

"Run, I don't know what he's seeing, but you should be able to—"

"You did me enough favors." Zero said, "I can't just be indebted to you over and over again."

"No! Don't touch her!" Rei said, "Stay away from that light!"

He touched her and felt his mind beginning to sink. She began to feel her mind being sucked into the void. He had no idea what was going on. He could hear voices and saw images.

_'What is all of this?'_ Lelouch thought.

"No! Stop! You're... unveiling me..." CC said as her voice was becoming meek.

She clutched the left side of her chest. Rei didn't know what was going on. He quickly felt danger coming from behind. He turned to see Nonette coming at him. She combined the sword and shield to create the great sword and lifted it with might.

"This is for Andreas Darlton!" Nonette said.

He blocked the great sword. The shockwave was strong enough to hurl rock at CC. A rock impales CC through the chest, breaking the mental connection between the three and returning their minds back to reality.

"CC!" Lelouch exclaimed as he grabbed her.

Nonette bounces off the Byakuen and landed near the Grail.

"Yup... Bismarck is going to love this." Nonette said, "Durandal! You've done enough!"

"Lady Nonette... I... uh..." Durandal said as he was recovering from the trip.

'I guess I have no choice!' Rei thought as he cycles through his weapons, 'I have to use it here!'

The Byakuen's Horn splits open to reveal a device inside. It began to start up as a gren glow was coming from the device. A green sphere of energy was forming. Nonette bit her lip.

"A hidden weapon?!" Durandal asked.

"Retreat!" Nonette said.

"What?!" Durandal asked.

"Gefjun Breaker! Activate!" Rei said as he pressed the two buttons simultaneously.

A screech could be heard as the green sphere expanded. The sphere engulfed the two Knightmares. The Gloucester and the Grail suddenly began to shut down.

"Impossible!" Durandal said, "They actually built a weapon for that purpose?!"

"The hell is going on?!" Nonette asked.

* * *

As they were fleeing the mountain and were getting a good distance from it, the Britannians saw the green flash of light. Suzaku began to wake up to see a wound across his chest.

"R-Rai?" Suzaku asked.

"Suzaku?! Are you alright?!" Rai asked.

"What's... happening?" Suzaku asked.

"I don't know. There's a green flash coming from behind the mountain." Rai said.

"A flash?" Suzaku asked.

* * *

The resistance groups saw the flash of light.

"What is that?" Tohdoh asked.

"Is that what I think that is?" Koji asked.

"The Gefjun Breaker? Like in the manual?" Akihiro asked.

"Incredible..." Aya said.

* * *

The light faded as the Gefjun Breaker deactivated along with the Byakuen. Rei quickly went to work on restarting the Byakuen. He initiated the Byakuen's start up sequence. The eyes lit up as the device was covered up. He got the Byakuen moving and went to go and find Zero. Durandal got the Grail up and working as Nonette did the same for her Gloucester. They looked around to see that the Byakuen and Zero were gone.

"Damn! Where did he go?!" Durandal asked.

"It would seem we lost him." Nonette said, "We're getting off this mountain."

"R-Right..." Durandal said as he followed Nonette,_ 'A weapon to disable a Knightmare Frame... who built it?'_

* * *

Rei was looking for Zero. He looked to his energy gauge and saw that he only had 1/5 of his energy gauge left. He concentrated his mind to look for Zero. He kept concentrating until he picked up a feeling. It was coming from a nearby cave. He got to the cave and out the Byakuen on standby mode and got out of the cockpit. He got down and went inside the cave.

* * *

Lelouch had treated her wounds and saw the wound closing on its own. What had gotten his attention while he was treating her wounds was a scar that almost looked similar to the symbol of Geass. It was strange. It made him come up with a few theories as to why she had that scar. He suddenly heard her whisper a name.

_'Is that her name?'_ Lelouch thought.

She quickly woke up and sat up.

"You know, you didn't have to do anything. My body can regenerate, remember?" CC asked.

"Yes, I do. I was just making sure you were regenerating correctly." Lelouch said, "Wouldn't want to have cancer growing because of your regenerative abilities."

"Real funny Lelouch." CC said.

"Yes, real funny indeed Celica." Lelouch said.

Her eyes widened as she gasped.

"That **is** your name, isn't it?" Lelouch asked.

"I—! What?! You were eavesdropping!" CC exclaimed.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear." Lelouch said, "Now that scar you have on your left breast, you wouldn't mind telling me what its doing there?"

"And you're a pervert." CC said.

"Now now, your body may be attractive, but I was only looking at the scar." Lelouch said.

"That doesn't matter," CC said, "You are a naughty boy and you're supposed to be a prince."

"Ex-prince."

"Whatever."

He heard footsteps and covered his face with the mask and pulled his gun out, only to see Rei.

"R-Rei... what are you—?"

"And you almost shot a child in the head, 'knights of justice' my ass." CC said.

"Sassy little—"

"It's you again!" Rei said as CC looked at him, "I'm so glad you made it out of Shinjuku!"

"Oh great, it's you." CC said.

"Aren't you glad to—"

He quickly realized she wasn't wearing clothes. Questions began running through his head as his face blushed.

"Um... Zero, what exactly were you two—?"

"I was simply making sure she was fine." Zero said, "Nothing—"

"We were doing adult things that kids like you would know when you get older." CC said.

"What things?!" Rei asked.

"Ok, you just wait outside and—"

"Outside?! Why?!" Rei asked.

"I'm just going to have a chat with her." Zero said.

"O-Ok..." Rei said as he left the cave.

Zero looked to CC.

"What? He's going to find out later on." CC said.

"That still doesn't make what you did in front of him excusable." Zero said, "Now if you excuse me, I got a victory speech to make, you wait right here."

"Oh sure, leave me with the bats that could eat me." CC said.

"You complain too much." Zero said.

* * *

_**Later...**_

**10 miles away from Narita**

The remnants of the Britannian army had gotten far away from the mountain and had set up a temporary base camp here. The ASEEC trailers were dug out of the landslide and made it to the base camp. As soon as Lloyd saw the damaged Lancelot, he looked devastated.

"My baby! My poor Lancelot! Oh god, what did those horrible Elevens do to her?!" Lloyd asked.

"Dear god..." Cecile said.

"I'll tell you what happened." Rai came in, "The White Jack is what happened."

"Him?! He did that?!" Lloyd asked as he pointed to the damaged Lancelot.

"That's not all he did." Nonette said, "He destroyed the G-1, killed Darlton, blew up the Canterbury, and led the Blood of the Samurai to wipe out most of Nelly's men."

"All of that?!" Cecile asked, "There's no way..."

"It happened. I heard all about it. It even had weapons that I'm not sure how to counter." Nonette said.

"Like what?" Rai asked.

"Apparently, from what Euphemia told me, it let off a red glow and then an explosion happened in the G-1." Nonette said.

"Red glow? You mean like with that new model we were fighting?" Rai asked.

"New model?" Nonette asked, "Oh... that machine Durandal told me of."

"Huh?!" Lloyd asked.

"It had a right arm that let off a red glow." Rai said, "It destroyed an MVS with ease."

Lloyd looked furious, "Anything else?"

"A weapon built to disable Knightmare Frames apparently. My Gloucester was caught in a green sphere that shifted everything off. I had to restart the damn thing." Nonette said.

"Rakshata Chawla..." Lloyd growled, "How could I have been so careless!"

"Someone you know?" Nonette asked.

"Yes, we're acquainted with her during our time in the Imperial Colchester Institute." Cecile said.

"This is war..." Lloyd said, "This is a war in technological advancement and she's got the upper hand against us!"

"Upper hand? You mean you knew what she was making?!" Nonette asked.

"The Radiant Wave Surger and that thing she's been working on! It all points to her!" Lloyd said, "She's working with the enemy! If it's a war on the technological front that she wants, she'll get it!"

"Lloyd?" Rai asked.

"As soon as Suzaku wakes up, he'll be looking at the new and improved Lancelot! Cecile! We are going to get to work on repairing it and improving it!" Lloyd said.

"Lloyd?!" Cecile asked.

"She's got balls for letting them do this to my Lancelot and went so far as to try to bury me six feet under!" Lloyd said, "It's only fair we return the favor!"

* * *

Cornelia woke up in a hospital bed. Her left arm was in a sling. She felt pain in her gut. She looked in shock as she remembered what happened. Euphemia came in to see her sister. She looked like a mess. Cornelia looked to Euphemia.

"Euphie..." Cornelia said, "Why did you come here?"

"To see my sister." Euphemia said as tears flowed from her eyes.

"Euphie... don't look at me like that when I look like this." Cornelia said.

"Your highness, if you'll leave us be." Guilford said as he came in.

"I'll leave you be." Euphemia said as she left.

"Guilford... No... you shouldn't..."

"I insist your highness."

"I failed as a warrior and a commander, you should not look at me." Cornelia said.

"Stop speaking like that. It wounds my heart like a dagger." Guilford said.

"My heart feels as though a thousand daggers have pierced me like a pincushion." Cornelia said, "Darlton died along with his men and it was my own folly that he—"

"It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it is." Cornelia said, "Those men died along with him. And Euphie? Only God knows what she's going through."

"And that's a good reason for you to blame yourself for what happened?" Guilford asked.

"I underestimated the enemy's wit and cunning! I let Zero surround me and my men! And Darlton is..." Cornelia said as she sobbed, "I... I..."

"Your highness..." Guilford said as he went over to comfort her.

* * *

Suzaku woke up with an IV tube hooked up to him. He opened his eyes to see Euphie crying over him.

"Euphie?" Suzaku said.

She looked to Suzaku and hugged him.

"Euphie..."

"I'm so sorry Suzaku! I... I couldn't protect those men! All those people—! They—!"

"Euphie? What's wrong?" Suzaku asked.

"The G-1! All those people in the G-1 were killed! I couldn't protect them! They all died because of my weakness!" Euphie cried, "And you... You almost died..."

"Euphie..."

Suzaku embraced Euphie as she cried over his shoulder. Nonette came in.

"Lady Nonette?" Suzaku asked, "What are you—?"

"I'm here because the Purebloods told me what happened." Nonette said, "They said Andreas Darlton had met his end along with the Canterbury and the G-1."

"What?! But— gah!" Suzaku yelped.

"Suzaku!" Euphie exclaimed.

"Rest boy! Rest! You're hurt!" Nonette said, "It was the White Jack. He led the Blood of the Samurai to attack us from behind."

"From behind?" Suzaku asked, "And he killed General Darlton?"

"I'm afraid so." Nonette said.

Suzaku looked defeated. He recalled Darlton's last words. He couldn't believe that Darlton was gone.

"I lost to him..." Suzaku said, "How pathetic of me..."

"He was dangerously skilled. You were only fighting with limited experience." Nonette said, "Look, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have made it along with Durandal to and grab the Princess! What matters is that you did something right—!"

"You don't get it!" Suzaku exclaimed.

Euphie backed away in shock.

"I failed! I messed it all up! I couldn't defeat him or the Red Queen! It's because of my failure that everyone's lives were at risk!" Suzaku said, "How am I supposed to live with that failure stuck in my head?!"

Nonette looked shocked at what she was seeing in Suzaku as his tears flowed. Rai came in and slapped Suzaku in the face really hard. He grabbed Suzaku by the hair.

"YOU CAN ACT LIKE A MAN!" Rai said.

"Rai?" Suzaku asked.

"What's the matter with you Suzaku?! Huh?!" Rai asked, "You screw up one time and you get the hell back up! You don't whine like a little baby! What the hell happened to the guy who was always so stupidly stubborn?! Where did that guy go?! Did he just jump off some cliff and never came back?!"

Suzaku didn't know what to say. Rai lets him go and storms out of the room, calling Suzaku pathetic. Nonette caught up with Rai, leaving Euphemia alone.

* * *

Nonette grabbed Rai by the shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nonette asked.

"To be by myself." Rai asked.

"Not when I'm around." Nonette said, "Come along with me now boy, we have much to discuss."

* * *

**Narita**

A collection of Japanese in green and black uniforms cheered as Zero came to the crowd with Rei and Kallen with him.

"We have dealt a harsh blow to the Britannians." Zero said, "We have won and left them a terrible scar for them to remember here! The scar of their defeat and the decimation of their leaders!"

The combined resistance group members cheered him on.

"Rei Yuki, Pilot of the Byakuen had brought his own miracle to the table and not only gotten rid of three high officials in the military, but he has also taken down Andreas Darlton, Cornelia's Indomitable Shield And Unbending Blade, a strong Knight of Britannia himself!" Zero said.

Rei came out and looked at everyone who looked so happy and proud. He seemed proud about their happiness. He seemed embarrassed with everyone looking at him.

"And the one who opened the way for our counterattack was none other than Kallen Kozuki, our Red Lotus on the battlefield!" Zero said.

Everyone cheered for Kallen. Kallen looked embarrassed too. Naoto have the two a thumbs up.

"Though we have won and dealt a great blow to Britannia, we must not forget that we have lost people who we cared about. Friends, family, loved ones. They're sacrifices will not go unheard." Zero said, "We will make sure that they are remembered for their bravery and sacrifice for the good of us all. We will march forward continuously until have reached our goal. The sleeping giant that was Japan has risen once more and will be reborn as a new nation like a phoenix."

Tohdoh watched as Zero went on.

_'The General trusts Zero as much as everyone does... I guess I must trust him as well.'_ Tohdoh thought, _'We still have a long way to go. Some of the men still might not trust him.'_

He centered his gaze at Rei.

_'As for him... he's too young to be piloting a Knightmare Frame, yet he succeeded in doing what an army commander would do in war.'_ Tohdoh thought, _'He still has much to learn. I bet Zero must be teaching him all that he knows. I guess I ought to be that boy's teacher as well. At least it will remind me of Suzaku while I'm doing it.'_

"For now, we take all that we can from this mountain and leave it before the Britannians come back. We will hide in the shadows once again until we find an opportunity to strike the enemy once more." Zero said, "But for now we celebrate our victory!"

They cheered his name. Lelouch looked at his growing army.

_'Phase 2 of my grand plan is complete. Now my army has grown into a giant force. With the JLF and the Blood of the Samurai under my command, I should now get Kyōto to support the Black Knights and then reorganize the Black Knights so that we are an effective fighting force against Britannia.'_ Lelouch thought,_ 'You learned well, my student. You have learned most excellently well. It is only fair you have a force of your own to command. And now with Tohdoh by my side, he'll help in your training while CC keeps a look out for you.'_

"Well What are you waiting for?! Let's party!" Tamaki yelled.

And so they went to celebrate.

* * *

**North Point Air Base**

Orson couldn't believe the report he got. It was devastating to look at. Most of the Somersets were lost along with most of the aerial reinforcements that were sent. The Ikaros were lost as well.

"Can't believe it..." Orson said, "The Air Force will not stand for this. And neither will I."

He looked to his window.

"Those unpatriotic terrorists won this one, but that's all they're getting." Orson said.

* * *

**Unknown Location**

Charles looked just the same as usual as the battle ended.

"It would seem my arrogant son has become quite a problem." Charles said, "Wouldn't you agree, Marianne?"

Behind him was a girl with pink hair. Her eyes had red glowing rings around them.

"It would seem our little boy has taken most of your tactical prowess and studied a lot from Clovis's dramatics." The girl said, "He'd make a fine Emperor, wouldn't you say?"

"True, quite true... but he has much to learn." Charles said, "He still doesn't know, right?"

"About me? Why of course he doesn't! CC is keeping tabs on him." The girl said, "Besides, even if he did find out, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

"No. About Ragnarok." Charles said.

"Nope! He still doesn't know!" The girl said.

"Good. His Geass presents a threat to it." Charles said.

"What?" The girl asked, "But how?"

"You've seen it, I've seen it. My brother has seen it. It is a danger." Charles said, "If it grows any more powerful, he could actually command the Gods to do his bidding."

"Impossible. It only works on other people as long as he's looking at them, right?" The girl asked.

"Marianne," Charles said, "That maybe the case now, but who knows when it might reach a point where with a single command, he could have the Gods topple Ragnarok over and therefore ruin everything."

"You're not going to kill him, are you?" The girl asked.

"Not unless he wants to die." Charles said, "If he becomes too powerful for his own good, then it must be done."

"But cant you just use your Geass on him and—"

"It has a limit of its own Marianne. If he were to break the Geass I cast upon him, he'll become even more dangerous." Charles said, "Killing him would have to be the only logical solution to the danger he poses to Ragnarok."

"And the boy VV has lost control over?" The girl asked.

"He'll be dealt with later. He's not that much of a threat as Lelouch." Charles said, "Besides, there are those who can deal with him properly."

"I see then." The girl said, "So that's it then?"

"Yes, That is all." Charles said as he left the temple in the sky.

* * *

**10 miles from Narita**

Jeremiah was being medically treated. The rest of the Purebloods were disheartened. Kewell was absolutely livid with what happened.

"Unbelievable! To think our military could just lose to a bunch of Elevens!" Kewell exclaimed, "Those damn Elevens and their stupid technology! How dare they try to compete with Britannia with such technology!"

Villetta was collecting her thoughts.

_'That school boy has to be Zero.'_ Villetta thought, _'This can't all be coincidental.'_

She figured the boy had to be Zero. It had to be him. She doesn't have the evidence to prove it, but if she could find a concrete connection, she could be solid. Kewell was thinking to himself as well.

_'That White Jack! How dare he mock the Purebloods like this! If only I had nabbed that stupid—!'_

A thought struck him like lightning. Of course, the boy! He has to be the White Jack! Now he was certain that there was a way to regain the honor of the Purebloods! If he could nab that little brat and get evidence on him as the White Jack, he'd be golden and the Purebloods would be pulled from disgrace! It was ingenious!

Durandal was livid. He was livid at how the little rabbit has grown. The rabbit was getting out of control. He was becoming much more powerful and stronger. Not only were his abilities growing, so was his skill and reflexes. It was becoming a problem. He had to deal with this problem. He needed a way to deal with it somehow before it was too late. Lalah watched as Durandal collected his thoughts.

_'Captain... Rei... their destinies are crossed with one another. When will their rivalry end? Or maybe it will never end.'_ Lalah thought, _'If only there were a sign of the end of their conflict...'_

The battle of Narita he drawn to a close. The Black Knights and the JLF had essentially defeated the Britannian forces and broke Britannia's aura of invincibility. The battle will leave a rippling effect throughout the Empire while the resistance movement grows because of this victory.


	23. Chapter 22: Kyoto's Answer

**Chapter 22: Kyoto's Answer**

Cornelia was in the meeting room with all the government staff along with Euphemia, Nonette, Guilford, and Durandal along with other officers of the military.

"The Narita Operation was a failure?" The vice minister asked.

"Yes, sadly." Nonette said, "We lost some very valuable equipment there."

"Not only that, but rumors have been running amok in the Ghettos and these rumors are getting into the Settlement." Guilford said, "If there was anyone to blame for our current situation, it would have to be the lot of you."

The government officials looked worried.

"Need I remind you that the terrorists have been using the mining railways and subways that the Elevens had built before the invasion began? Why weren't they buried when we conquered this land?" Guilford asked, "And the Ghettos have falsified property deeds as the rebellion continues to go unchallenged."

"Well we can't just fill them in. We don't have the budget for it." The vice minister spoke.

"And they've been used as strike bases and escape routes." Guilford said, "And then we have the NAC, who we have suspected to be connected to all of this. However, all the evidence was lost during the Narita Operation, even when we discovered signs of their conspiracy."

"But sir! Those are just rumors! If you suppress them now, the Eleven's economy will collapse and no tax revenue will be sent to the Homeland!" The vice minister said, "Not only that, but its also a prime directive that numbers should take care of themselves."

"And the Black Knights?" Nonette asked.

"Well... from what I've gathered, they were behind the Narita Operation's disaster, especially the White Jack doing considerable damage." Durandal said, "I couldn't squeeze anything out of the corpses either."

"So we cant find the Black Knights and we can't touch Kyoto..." Nonette said, "Well that's just great, now is it?"

"It would seem our folly has piled up with the rest of it." Cornelia said, "Zero has bolstered the Elevens and now the Black Knights have grown larger and more powerful than ever."

"You are all incompetent." Guilford said, "If you had been a little bit rough with the Elevens and kept them in check, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

The government officials looked increasingly worried.

"Now if you excuse us, we have better things to do." Durandal said.

The meeting was adjourned.

* * *

**Kyoto House**

The members of the Six Houses had gathered for a meeting in regards to the Black Knights.

"So they have absorbed the JLF into their structure..." Munakata said.

"To think Zero had someone as tactically adept as he is on his side along with Tohdoh..." Yoshino said.

"It's preposterous... just because the Black Knights saved the JLF doesn't mean they should have joined them." Osakabe said, "Did they really have to do this?"

"At least the embers of Japan have become a lit flame once more." Kubouin said, "I say we should lend them support."

"I must agree with him." Munakata said, "Maybe this Zero will put our efforts to great use."

"You'd support that masked Robin Hood?" Osakabe asked.

"He did the resistance movement a solid favor." Yoshino said, "There can't be any shame in supporting them."

"Kirihara, what are your thoughts?" Osakabe asked.

Taizo was silent. He had been deliberating. He opened his eyes.

"I will gauge their worthiness." Taizo said, "I will see if they are willing of our support."

"It is only logical that Kirihara speaks with Zero." Kaguya said, "It has been decided. We shall invite him at once."

"And the request we sent to that Rakshata?" Osakabe asked.

"I'm sure she's working on it right now." Munakata said, "The parr's have been sent."

"Good." Kaguya said, "This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

**North Point Air Base**

The air base was resupplied and restocked on Somersets and new Sutherland Ikaros That we're coming in. Mihaly was taking his medication. As he did, he looked to the newly arrived Somersets, Ikaros, and aircraft that were coming into the base. He thought about his grandchildren. He wondered how they were doing.

* * *

**ASEEC Hangar**

The ASEEC Corps was hard at work in repairing and upgrading the Lancelot. They were replacing the legs with legs that had Blaze Luminous shield generators in them to make the Lancelot's kick more powerful. The armor was being reinforced so the Lancelot would be more durable in combat. The Yggdrasil Drive was amped up to be more powerful and had a turbine system fitted into it so it would have more efficiency. For added propulsion, Lloyd had Prototype Float Boosters attached to the sides of the cockpit block. Cecile looked as the Lancelot was being upgraded and thought about Suzaku.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

There were rumors going about in Ashford about what had happened in Narita. Shirley was worried about her father. Even the tickets to the opera that her father given her could not alleviate her worry. She was even more worried when Rai called and said Suzaku was recovering in the hospital.

What was even more worrying in the school was word of Andreas Darlton's death. He was one of Cornelia's Knights, so there was reason to worry if he was dead. Some of the students feel as though they might leave school due to rising concerns from the parents. Even so, the school was going strong.

Rei heard rumors of the White Jack's exploits and felt differently about the situation. On one hand, he seemed glad of what he had done. He not only cut down the enemy's leaders, defeated a Knight, destroyed a very powerful weapon, put the Lancelot out of commission, and made quite a name for himself. On the other hand, he seemed to regret parts of it. While Britannia had done some horrible things in the past, he knew that he had single handedly killed many soldiers that had families once. He tore them away from their families without a second thought. He didn't want to kill, but kill he did. Of course it was out of self-defense, but nonetheless, he had hurt the families of those soldiers. He could only wish that they would rest forever in peace.

He thought back on Nina's sudden confession. It was odd hearing it from her. She sounded like she was serious but had some fear of rejection in her voice. He thought back on Nunnally and Lalah as well. When he did, he couldn't help but feel even more attached to them.

* * *

**Roof**

Rai was on the roof of the building to collect his thoughts. As he did, his right eye began to sting with pain. He covered his right eye. Suddenly, one word filled his thoughts.

_Geass_

The word buzzed in his head. Voices were heard and images were seen. Behind him was CC, who was interested in him for some reason. She was about to touch Rai before—

**"Go away!"** Rai yelled.

A red sphere expanded and engulfed CC. The mark on her forehead glowed. The sphere expanded up until it suddenly vanished. Rai had turned to see CC, only to look confused.

"Hmph, using Geass on me without even knowing better..." CC said, "At least it's not at that stage yet."

"Wha—? Who—? Where—?"

She puts a hand on him and her mark glowed. Everything turned white all around him. She was delving into his mind. She found some interesting things in it.

'Yes... his Geass is just like his, only different.' CC thought, 'His memories are a mess.'

She got out of his head, leaving Rai dazed.

"You are quite special." CC said, "You have Geass."

"G-Geass... that words been in my head actually. What the hell does it mean?" Rai asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm not your mother. You should be able to remember, can't you?" CC asked.

Rai tried to remember. Things were starting to come back.

_'Of course... that little kid... he said he'd give me power...'_ Rai thought, _'Then there was that 'contract' and then... and then... I... I remember now! I remember how it works!'_

He quickly remembered how it works, at least parts of it. His power could command people through his own voice, however, people who are deaf or have their ears covered would be immune. The range of the power was limited to how far his voice could be heard, so space is one thing to be mindful of. It could also affect anyone who could hear him and especially himself. Aside from that, that's all he could remember.

"I remember now... at least just parts of it." Rai said.

"Just parts of it?" CC asked.

"Look, all that I can say is that I can command people with my voice." Rai said, "At least I'm hoping that's how it still works."

"Oh good, you remembered something useful." CC said.

"Useful?" Rai asked.

"That's right, now forget you ever saw me and don't tell anyone." CC said, "If you do, I won't hesitate to kill you on the spot."

"Huh?!" Rai exclaimed.

"Just act like you don't know me." CC said.

She left without a word. Rai was left completely confused and perplexed.

* * *

**In the skies**

Claudio S. Darlton sat along with his four other adopted brothers as they were making their way to Area 11. They were going to Area 11 along with the new Gloucester Final Types that were rolling off the factory that became standard issue Knightmares for commanders and Knights. While he sat, he was hiding his anger. As his father told him, having to act on your emotions was brash and foolhardy. He had to be calm and think rationally. His father told his brothers to do the same. But now ever since his death, things had changed.

When his brother David T. Darlton heard of the death of his father, he locked himself in his own room. When the other four got the door to open, they saw a huge mess and came to the conclusion that David was absolutely livid about it. They could not blame their brother for his anger. He respected their father the most. His death had wounded David's heart considerably. Edgar N. Darlton was disheartened upon hearing the death of his father. It made him feel all alone again. Bart L. Darlton cheered his brother up as he knew how to cope with all of this by simply thinking about all the good things throughout their lives. Claudio was quick to accept his father's death and showed no anger and showed only a bitter sadness in his heart. Alfred G. Darlton was the most devastated of them all. He had straight up denied the announcement of his father's death and quickly hid his emotions. He later broke down into tears and couldn't contain his emotions anymore. Andreas Darlton was the only one close enough for Alfred to call a father. He had pulled him out of the pit of despair as an orphan with the other four as orphans. Now that his father was dead, he plunged back into that pit, only for Bart to pull him back out of it.

They all swore to get vengeance against their father's killer, the Black Knights, and Zero. They would not stop until they put the Black Knights down for good.

* * *

**Imperial Palace Pendragon, Pendragon, Britannian Homeland**

Bartley was in shock upon hearing the Emperor's words. As it turns out, the Emperor knew about Code R before the Shinjuku disaster even happened. The Emperor wasn't even going to punish him for it. Instead, he was going to have him continue it. He bowed before the Emperor in gratitude and thanked the Emperor for having mercy.

"There is one place of interest that I want you to examine." Charles said.

"A place of interest?" Bartley asked.

"Yes. Kamine Island." Charles said, "There is something there at Kamine Island that has intrigued me and has directed my interest in Area 11 aside from all the Sakuradite there."

"Something other than Sakuradite?" Bartley asked.

"Yes, you'll find it most peculiar." Charles said.

* * *

**Elsewhere in Pendragon**

Kanon came in to inform Schneizel. He came to deliver his report. He handed it to Schneizel. Schneizel looked over the report.

"Well my lord?" Kanon asked, "Is there anything about it you wish to discuss?"

"Yes, there are some things I've been wishing to talk about." Schneizel said, "Steiner Konzern is aiding Camelot in the Avalon's construction in exchange for aiding them in constructing the Bradford, right?"

"Are you interested in the Bradford my lord?" Kanon asked.

"Yes actually." Schneizel said, "What is the Bradford exactly?"

"Well imagine combining the technologies of the Somerset and the Sutherland Ikaros and elements from the Lancelot." Kanon said, "It would create a Knightmare Frame that would be a great air superiority Knightmare Frame."

Schneizel gave it some thought.

"I see... so we are making a much better aerial Knightmare Frame then." Schneizel said.

"Yes, one that can surpass any aerial combat Knightmare with ease." Kanon said.

"I see then." Schneizel said as he continued browsing the report, "The Canterbury was destroyed during the Narita Operation, Yes?"

"That is true. We managed to get some combat data from it." Kanon said, "We have begun producing more Canterbury to ensure that we have a mobile artillery based Knightmare in our arsenal."

"And the Gawain?" Schneizel asked.

"It's still undergoing various tests." Kanon said, "The Hadron Cannon is still an unstable weapon."

"I see..." Schneizel said, "And what about the other projects? How are they faring?"

"We made an experimental VARIS Rifle. It will take some time before we can mass-produce the rifle however." Kanon said, "As for the Prototype Sutherland Hover Types, we outfitted them with prototype Float Units. While they can't exactly push them up into the air, it will allow the Sutherland to hover over the ground without the need for Sand Panels. We also finished construction of the Sutherland Eye and are sending it and the experimental VARIS rifle to Area 11."

"I see..." Schneizel said, "And what of Durandal?"

"The Knights we assigned have been reassigned to the ASEEC Corps per his instructions." Kanon said.

"What?" Schneizel asked, "Has he been promoted to a Knight?"

"Yes sir, he is officially a Knight of Honor." Kanon said, "He's making a Knight Order for himself to combat the Black Knights."

"A Knight Order?" Schneizel asked.

"Yes, the Rose Knights." Kanon said, "He's gotten some recruits joining him now."

"Well that's something." Schneizel said, "And the enemy Knightmare Frames the Black Knights used, they seem like a threat."

"That they are." Kanon said, "Do you think these Knightmares are the work of that prodigy that fled to the Chinese Federation for protection?"

"I believe so." Schneizel said, "She slipped out of our fingers and now is aiding the enemy."

"It is sad we could not capture her." Kanon said, "She would have made a great addition to Camelot."

"It is." Schneizel said.

* * *

**Narita**

Clean-up operations were underway to fix the damage done by the landslide. Cornelia was on site. Most of the pilots in the Knightmares that were caught in the landslide had nearly suffocated to death. They were being treated as fast as possible. Those what did not make it were put in body bags that would later have said bodies to be put in coffins where they would be buried with a memorial commemorating them. She went over to a soldier to have some questions answered.

"General Darlton... is his Knightmare..."

"It's still intact." The soldier said, "Is this because of his death?"

"Yes..." Cornelia admitted, "Did he... did he die painlessly?"

The soldier shook his head. The soldier led Cornelia to the Gloucester they recovered from Narita. It was indeed Darlton's Gloucester. She saw a hole in its chest. She went over to take a closer look. She looked at the hole and noticed that there were spirals along the walls of the hole, suggesting that the kind of weapon used had to be something like a drill. She could only imagine the pain of having that drill bore through Darlton, tearing his bone and flesh to ribbons and mush. The pain had to be unbearable. She backed away from the Gloucester. She went over to the soldier.

"How many people were in the G-1 before it was destroyed?" Cornelia asked.

"W-Well... aside from the three staff officers in the bridge, most of the crew died along with some of the wounded that were being escorted out." The soldier said, "It was... horrible. To think the Black Knights had someone like the White Jack... he's a monster..."

"We're all monsters... monsters who dare call themselves human." Cornelia said, "Zero is only the devil who awaits all who come to hell."

She went over to a tent where families were mourning over the dead bodies that were in body bags. Seeing them mourn brought back horrible memories, memories she didn't want to remember. She turned away to leave.

* * *

Rachel Richmond looked at the dead body that was her would've-been, could've-been boyfriend of hers. Her long blonde hair failed to cover face that was covered in sadness. Her green eyes shedded tears as she thought about what could've been her future. She only met him during high school. They became friends relatively quick. They went to a military academy, had laughs, and then became Knightmare pilots. She imagined a future with him, but that future was gone. Instead, she had to see his dead body. His family was present and comforted her as she sobbed and later cried.

* * *

Joseph was getting verbally grilled by his own wife. Telling him how crazy it was for him to go to Narita in the first place when he could have stayed home. His daughter was there too. She looked worried as well. She tried to calm her mother down, but she just wasn't having it today.

"Look honey, I know it was crazy and foolish and very dangerous, but at least I'm alive and well, aren't I?" Joseph said.

"That still doesn't—! I—!" His wife stuttered before turning to Shirley, "As for you young lady, you and I are having a talk about your boyfriend!"

"Wha! Mom! Come on, right now of all times?" Shirley asked.

"Oh don't you talk to me like that young lady! Your father may have been ok with it, but after what has happened, I think it's high time we talked about this!" Her mother said.

"Moooom!" Shirley moaned.

"Look... Shirley... your mother knows best..." Joseph said.

And so the two argued. He just watched as the two argued with each other. He looked to the summit of the mountain. He wondered what exactly caused that landslide to occur.

* * *

**Inside the Base**

The base had been completely emptied out. Everything from parts, Knightmares, weapons, supplies, ammunition, everything was gone. Out of all the rail guns that were used in Narita, one of them was taken apart and sent out. The rest of the guns looked to have been demolished. Tunnels leading to the outside of the base were sealed off. Any and all documents were gone. The base was completely cleaned out. There was nothing in here.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Rei went to the Student Council room to find Milly and Rivalz on their own. He wanted to have some questions answered for him.

"Milly? Rivalz? Do you have any free time?" Rei asked.

"Why of course you little musketeer! What do you want?" Rivalz asked.

"Go right on slugger." Milly said.

"Well... you see... its... it's about Nunnally and Lalah." Rei said.

The two high schoolers looked at each other. They looked to Rei.

"You see, whenever I think about them or get near them, my heart just goes all over the place." Rei said, "For some reason, it's like I want to be close to them."

"Ooooh~. I smell a crush~!" Milly said.

"A... Crush?" Rei asked.

"Oh you know, you have hidden feelings for this one girl and you can't get her out of your head, it's like that." Rivalz said, "You my friend, are in love."

"Love? Like friends?" Rei asked.

"No you dork, it's more than just friends!" Rivalz said, "It's more like... uh... like you... really really like them that just being friends isn't enough."

"Think of it like Romeo and Juliet!" Milly said.

"Milly, you know where that kind of relationship ends up going, don't you?" Rivalz asked.

_'Love... more than just friends...'_ Rei thought.

He turned and left the room to give it some thought.

* * *

**Zero's Mobile Base**

Zero came in to see everyone looking at a letter.

"Is there something about that letter that I need to know about?" Zero asked.

"Well, that little letter is our ticket to Kyoto." Naoto said, "Apparently, they liked what you did at Narita."

"Yeah, now we won't have to worry about our funds." Tamaki said.

A vein popped off Naoto's head. His brow twitched. Lelouch suddenly felt anger flowing out from Naoto. Naoto turned to Tamaki looking like he was about to snap.

"Tamaki, what did I say about spending our funds the wrong way?" Naoto asked.

"Oh... oh no." Tamaki said.

Ohgi and Sugiyama were quick to distance themselves from a sweating Tamaki.

"Now now Naoto, we'll just find someone more... experienced and more trustworthy with our funds until we get Kyoto's cooperation." Zero said, "Ohgi?"

"H-Hold on man! I'm not a businessman!" Ohgi said.

Naoto snapped his focus onto Ohgi. He soon felt his glare upon him.

"On second thought, maybe it should be me..." Ohgi said.

"And all that stuff we took from Narita?" Yoshida asked.

"It's stashed and hidden safely." Nagata said.

"Oh thank god..." Inoue said.

"Well, at least we'll know where to go and get it all." Izumi said, "As for the letter, they want you to go along with Naoto. Just to be safe, bring Kallen and Ohgi along with you."

"I see..." Zero said, "I guess I'll accept their invitation."

"Then that settles it. To Kyoto we go then." Naoto said.

* * *

_**A Day Later...**_

A limousine was heading up a road. Zero, along with Naoto, Kallen and Ohgi were in the back. The three Japanese were containing their excitement. They were having a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet with the Kyoto group who have been backing resistance groups all over.

The limousine kept going until it reached a tunnel. The limousine kept going until it stopped. The ground suddenly began to shift. Naoto recognized a certain sound. It was the sound of an elevator!

"An elevator..." Naoto said, "Does that mean—?"

"Naoto?" Kallen asked.

"It's nothing." Naoto said.

The elevator stopped. Two men opened the doors of the limousine.

"We've been expecting you." One man in a suit said, "Right this way."

The four got out of the limousine and followed the two men. They kept walking up until they reached a giant room. Naoto looked to see light and went over to it. He saw it was a window and looked into it only to see that, from where they were was—!

"Well I'll be damned." Naoto said, "This is Mt. Fuji."

"Wait?! For real?!" Kallen exclaimed.

"Then were in the Fuji Mines where all the Sakuradite is?!" Ohgi asked.

"Apparently so." Naoto said, "Still, at least the mountain still has some of its beauty left despite being turned into a gold mine of itself."

"It's repulsive." A commanding voice said.

The lights went out and were replaced with red lights as the window shutters closed. Four Burai came out from the shadows. The three Japanese looked to see an old man hiding behind a screen.

"What happened having a normal conversation? This feels more like one of these situations." Naoto said.

"Naoto, I presume?" The old man asked.

"That'd be me." Naoto said.

"Then you will take off Zero's mask." The old man said.

The three looked shocked. Kallen immediately became defensive.

"Hold on! Zero has given us victory time and time again! The least you can do is—"

"Kallen," Naoto called, "What did mom say about respecting our elders?"

"But—!"

"I'm sorry for not showing my face, but Zero, your face is hidden." The old man said, "If I am to trust you, I must see your face!"

Naoto went over to Zero.

"Alright buddy, I know you wanted to keep your secret identity a secret, but at least it's just between everyone in this room." Naoto said as he grabbed the mask.

The mask unlocked and Naoto took it off, only to see CC standing in front of him. He quickly whipped his gun at her.

"Lets see here, green hair, yellow eyes, and..."

He pushed her hair up to reveal the mark on her forehead.

"I'm guessing that mark isn't a tattoo." Naoto said, "You're the immortal mistress I unknowingly liberated, right?"

CC frowned, "Let me guess, was it that kid from the subway?"

"The school boy or the kid who just so happens to be psychic or some other supernatural nonsense?" Naoto asked.

"The latter." CC said.

"Well he only told me what you looked like." Naoto said, "And I'm guessing Zero knew this was coming and decided to pull some janky stealth stuff right about now."

The guards had cocked their guns.

"Ok, just because he ain't Japanese, you're gonna shoot us? Really?" Naoto asked, "I thought you guys were straight when it came to the matter of race."

"Forgive me, but I will not endanger Japan's fate to someone who isn't Japanese!" The old man said.

One of the Burai smacked the other with a tonfa and gunned over to the old man and had a rifle ready.

"You're methods are soft and outdated!" Zero's voice shouted in the Burai, "That is why..."

The cockpit opened as Zero got out, "... you will never win!"

"Bingo!" Naoto said as he put the gun away.

Zero was holding a detonator in his hand. The guards quickly kept their trigger fingers at bay.

"Taizo Kirihara. A former backer of the Kururugi Administration. When Japan fell, you collaborated with the Britannians, earning yourself the name Kirihara the Traitor." Zero said, "But in reality, you are but one of the six Japanese who have been working in the shadows to back resistance groups all over. A double agent, how cliche."

"Be silent you swine!" One of the guards said.

"Stop!" The old man said.

"As you claimed and thought, I am not Japanese." Zero said.

"Huh?!" Ohgi exclaimed.

'So it's as I thought.' Naoto thought.

"Who are you?" Taizo asked.

"An old friend from eight years ago." Zero said.

The flap on the left side of the mask lifted. Kirihara saw the purple eye looking at him. He recognized the gaze within that eye. He signaled the guards to be dismissed and dismissed they were.

"After all those years... I never thought it would be you." Taizo said in a low tone.

"Sorry. I wish we could meet on different circumstances, but you kinda forced my hand." Zero said as he took off his mask.

Taizo sighed as he looked at Lelouch, "Does Tohdoh know?"

"No." Lelouch said.

"You didn't show your face to him, but show it to me instead." Kirihara said, "Why?"

"I merely want your help." Lelouch said, "It's also because I thought I wanted to return the favor."

"I see..." Taizo said, "The flower planted eight years ago is in full bloom."

He smiled, "Are you embarking on the path of blood?"

"Haven't I already started on that?" Lelouch said.

Taizo howled with laughter, "Naoto!"

"Yes?" Naoto asked.

"This man may not be Japanese, but he is a true enemy of Britannia. I encourage you to follow him." Taizo said, "We will provide the Black Knights with funding, supplies, weaponry, and intelligence."

"Thank you." Naoto said, "You won't regret it."

Lelouch puts the mask on.

_'Phase 3 is complete, now to reorganize the Black Knights.'_ Lelouch thought, _'With this, my army shall become even more stronger.'_

* * *

_**Later that day...**_

Lelouch was on his way to an opera house with Shirley. He had never seen her so happy before. Hell, this was the first time he has actually gone onto a date. He began to remember back to when he was a cheerful little boy, back when all the girls were attracted to him and chased him around wherever he went while all the boys fawned over Nunnally and wished to court her with his mother's blessings of course. Oh the days where he'd scare off any of them who tried to go out with her on a date while his mother admonished him for skipping out on his lessons. Those were days indeed.

* * *

**ASEEC Hangar**

"Have the Special Corps install an ejection unit in both the Lancelot and the Club." Rai said as the red sphere grew out.

Lloyd's eyes had red rings around them.

"I'll work on it." Lloyd said.

"Good." Rai said, 'It still works like I thought it does.'

Lloyd went over to Cecile.

"Cecile, do we have any spare parts of an ejection system~?" Lloyd asked while under Rai's influence.

"An ejection unit?" Cecile asked, "Lloyd, are you ok?"

"Of course I am~!" Lloyd said, "Now just tell me where to go find the parts~!"

"Well... uh... we don't have any parts for that so..."

"Alrighty then! We'll just have to do it from scratch~." Lloyd said.

"H-Hold on a second! Since when did you—"

"Less asking, more working Cecile~!" Lloyd said.

Cecile was confused by Lloyd's attitude. She began to notice something was up with his eyes. She saw glowing red rings around them.

'His eyes... why are they—?'

Cecile shook her head, "I'll have it done."

"Thank you~!" Lloyd said.

The rings faded. Lloyd suddenly remembered something. He turned to Rai.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah..." Lloyd said, "Is Suzaku—?"

"I'm here." Suzaku said as he came in uniform, "Was there something I needed to see?"

"Why of course~!" Lloyd said, "Behold! The Z-01/E Lancelot Enhanced!"

Suzaku looked at the Lancelot and noticed several differences from the original.

"Whoa! You went out of your way to do all of this?" Suzaku asked.

"That's right, the Yggdrasil Drive has been amplified, the armor has been reinforced, and the prototype Float Boosters attached to it give it much more propulsion and the added Blaze Luminous generators on the legs to give the kicks much more power~!" Lloyd said, "Aside from that, the weapons remain the same."

"Anything else?" Suzaku asked.

"A cockpit ejection system." Cecile added.

"Huh?"

"You said it yourself Lloyd." Cecile said.

Lloyd was suddenly confused all of a sudden.

'He doesn't remember the command I gave him.' Rai thought, 'A lapse from before and after the command starts and ends.'

"Wow Lloyd, I thought you didn't have the time to install one." Suzaku said.

"Well I—! The thing is—. What I'm trying to say is—"

Rai began to chuckle. Lloyd picked up on it.

"You... what in blue blazes have you done to me?" Lloyd asked.

'Oh no! He caught on!' Rai thought.

He quickly ran off. Lloyd gave chase.

"Get back here you!" Lloyd exclaimed as he ran after Rai.

"He's never gonna catch him." Suzaku said.

"How do you know?" Cecile asked.

"He doesn't exercise much." Suzaku said.

"Oh..." Cecile said, "You know, something was off about Lloyd for a few seconds."

"Off?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes... his eyes... they were red rings around his eyes and they were glowing." Cecile said, "It's strange to see him act that way, especially when I caught onto those red rings."

"Red rings?" Suzaku asked, "Anything else?"

"Well, he wanted to install an ejection unit on the Lancelot and the Club." Cecile said, "If you ask me, it's almost as if he was hypnotized or something like that."

"Hypnotized?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes. It was very strange." Cecile said, "Actually, now that I think about it—. No... maybe it isn't possible... I must have..."

"Cecile?" Suzaku asked.

"It's nothing." Cecile said, "You should head back to school, I'm sure your friends are worried about you."

"R-right." Suzaku said as he left.

Cecile didn't know what to think of all of this. She shook her head off and went to work.


	24. Chapter 23: Fumbled Emotions

**Chapter 23: Fumbled Emotions**

Rei was on his way to leaving school in the dead of night after visiting Nunnally. He couldn't help but hear moans coming from the student council room. He decided to investigate it for himself. He opened the door and went in.

"EEP!" A familiar voice let out a meep.

He heard the sound of someone tripping and flipped the light switch on, only to find Nina, only with her underwear down and posterior hanging in the air. Rei could only gawk in pure, unimaginable shock that would have fried most of his brain cells.

"No! Don't look!" Nina said.

Rei just stood there gawking at her. His eyes failed to avert their gaze to something else. His eyes glanced at the table to avoid looking at Nina, only to find her sweet—. He quickly shook his head, closed the door, locked it, and quickly closed the window shutters. As he did, Nina got back up, only to fall in a hurry. He turned around only to accidentally gawk at what was below her skirt for a brief moment. Nina screams and covered her exposed features. Rei averts his gaze to the table, only to see a clear fluid on the table. She noticed he was looking at the table and began to panic. Two words came to his mind while he looked at that table.

_Adult things_

The second it clicked into his head, as soon as one was added to one to make two, the second the light bulb went on, he immediately regretted ever coming here to begin with.

"N-Nina? Did you—? Why—? When—? I—"

"It's not what you think! I swear it isn't!" Nina said.

"Then what's that?" Rei asked as he pointed to the fluid on the table.

He saw it dripping from the edge and found stains on the floor. He traced them back all the way back to Nina's... he looked absolutely mortified. He could only gawk as Nina threw a magazine at him. The magazine breaks his attention. He looked away. He looked at her again to see her looking away in shame with tears in her eyes. She pulled her panties back up and got back up.

_'How shameful of me... for him to see me like this when I have done something so horribly shameful...'_ Nina thought.

She turned to leave, only for her hand to be grabbed. She turned to see it was Rei's hand.

"R-Rei..." She said as she was shocked to find his hand on hers, "No... you shouldn't... I've done something so horribly shameful. I've sullied your innocence with that act of debauchery that you have witnessed... I truly am sorry!"

He refused to let go of her. A thought came into her head as he held her hand tightly.

_'No... is he going to punish me?'_ Nina thought.

She looked at him to see something else that defied that thought of hers. She saw regret in his eyes.

"Everyone has secrets that they want to hide." Rei said, "But then you have people who feel like they should tell them their secrets for a variety of reasons."

"R-Rei..." Nina said.

"What you did means absolutely nothing compared to me." Rei said, "Nina... the White Jack... is me."

Her eyes widened upon hearing him say that and gasped. She covered her mouth in terror from hearing him say that. The person who saved her in the hotel jacking was also the terrorist that had slain a Britannian Knight and destroyed a G-1 all by himself, killing hundreds of crewmen onboard. There was no way that this boy, who was so innocent and young, who only lashed out of rage against injustice, would be a member, let alone an ace of the terrorist group led by the man who killed Prince Clovis la Britannia. She looked in complete denial of all it. She shook her head.

"It can't be..." Nina said, "It's not true... that's impossible..."

"I'm sorry Nina... but what I'm saying is true." Rei said, "I'm sorry for deceiving you."

Nina didn't know what to think. She fell on her knees as she tried to think of something. She looked at him.

"Why? Why would be with them? Why would you—?"

"Nina, remember when I said I lost my parents once?" Rei asked, "They died during the war."

"The war?" Nina said before looking terrified, "You're an Eleven..."

"No... only half." Rei said, "My father was a Britannian. He was a scientist and he died because the military wanted his research and me as well."

"So it's revenge then..." Nina said.

"It's not that." Rei said.

"Then why?" Nina asked.

"Because... they were like family to me." Rei said, "They took me in when no one else could. They gave me a place to stay when I had nowhere else to go."

Nina was struggling to understand all of this.

"Family? Elevens? They would never accept a half-blood as their own." Nina said.

"Nina..." Rei said, "I know why you're afraid of them. One night, you went into the Ghettoes and then... something bad happened there and you... you took the brunt of it."

Nina looked shocked.

"How did you know?" Nina asked.

"Lalah told me." Rei said.

"She told you?" Nina asked, "What are you trying to say? What do you want from me? Do you hate me for being a Britannian?"

"Nina... please, you have to listen to me, I maybe half-Japanese, but that doesn't mean I—"

"You hate me because you're an Eleven and I'm a Britannian! That's exactly how it is and you know it!" Nina said, "I confessed my feelings to you and all you did was push me away! Now I know why. It's because you're an Eleven half-breed who just hates Britannians!"

"You're wrong!" Rei yelled at her, "You don't understand a damn thing about me! You've never seen the horrible things I was forced to see! I lost my parents all because the military wanted me, an Overman, and nothing else aside from my own father's research! They murdered him right in front of me and did god knows what to my mother! Don't you dare say things like that when you don't know anything about the true face of this horrible world we live in!"

Nina recoiled upon hearing him yell at her. She shivered. She never saw this side of him before. It made her think why he was like this.

"That's just how it is. The weak die while the strong survived. That's how it works." Nina said, "Even if you say that you don't hate me that won't convince me to believe anything you've said. If you were a pureblooded Britannian, maybe things would have been different. Your mother was probably just an Eleven your father considered his mistress."

"So you don't care?" Rei asked, "You haven't seen true hell yet."

"I've already seen it with Shinjuku." Nina said.

"Then you haven't seen enough." Rei said.

Nina looked at him like a priest would look at a heretic. His hand tightened around her hand. He turned away from her.

"Nina, I've seen the horrors of what was done by Britannia. I've seen how their methods have affected the world." Rei said, "Their methods brought nothing but suffering to others. I know that because I've seen people who are victimized, hurt, and killed. I saw my own family get gunned down before my own eyes. I... I was all alone, forced to face the cruel reality of this world all by myself."

She saw tears coming from his eyes as he looked back at her. His eyes pierced through her glare like a drill going through concrete.

"My father... he only wanted to protect me and my mom during the war by sending his research findings over to the Chinese for the protection of me and my mom. My mother never hit me in a single day of her life. She didn't do anything wrong, and yet..." Rei said, "I watched as they shot my father in the head. They killed him and then my mother. Why did they have to die Nina? Tell me. For what reason did my mother and father have to die?"

He began to sob as he released her hand and hugged her, sobbing onto her uniform and her soft tummy. She didn't know what to do. She was so confused about all of this. She hugged him like a mother would do to comfort her child. She didn't know why she was doing it, but it was if her body moved on it's own will alone. Rei looked at Nina. Nina saw true sadness within his eyes.

"Rei..." Nina said.

She felt her heart being torn to ribbons upon seeing his sadness.

"I'm scared Nina... I'm scared that... that I'll lose everyone like I lost my parents during the war... I had a horrible nightmare where everyone I ever loved is executed right before my eyes again like my father was killed in front of me..." Rei said, "I... don't want to lose anyone ever again! I don't want lose you or anyone in the student council! You, the student council, and the Black Knights are all I have left! You guys are the only people I have left! The student council and the Black Knights are the only people that I consider family and friends! I don't want to be alone again! I don't want to lose everything like I did last time! You're all I have left!"

Nina began to understand why he was like this. She suddenly felt ashamed for calling him an Eleven and for not understanding his feelings earlier. She began to sob as she shedded tears.

"Rei... I..."

She gripped him tightly, "I'm sorry!"

She brought her head on his shoulder and sobbed. Rei was surprised.

"Nina?" Rei asked.

"I called you an Eleven and misunderstood your feelings! I said horrible things about you and your mother and father and I didn't even know what you've been through! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you still thought of me and the others like that! I never thought you'd been through so much pain! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Nina said, "I get it now... you fought alongside the Black Knights because of all of us! I treated you horribly with my own words! I'm so sorry Rei! Please forgive me!"

"Nina..." Rei said.

"I love you! I love you with all of my heart! I don't care if you're Japanese or if you're with the Black Knights! I'll always love you no matter what!" Nina said, "I love you, Rei! I love you no matter what anyone says, be it from the military, the nobility, or all the commoners! I love you with all that I am!"

"Nina..." Rei said, "You... I never thought you'd ever love me if I told you who I really was."

"Do you... think I'm pretty?" Nina asked.

"Of course you do. I mean, your hair is beautiful, you're eyes are nice shade of indigo, and the glasses make you cute." Rei said.

Nina sighed, "You're like a magnet. You managed to attract me with all your adorableness in that little body of yours."

She pulled him and the two rested on the floor.

"Let's stay like this." Nina said, "At least... until sunrise that is."

Rei smiled, "If that's ok with you, then I don't mind it one bit."

And so the two drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**_The very next morning..._**

Rivalz noticed that Nina was being extra cheerful today.

"You seem awfully cheerful." Rivalz said.

"What about that?" Nina asked.

"N-Nothing. It's just that I never saw you this happy before." Rivalz said.

"W-Well... that's because... um... there's someone I like!" Nina said.

Rivalz stopped thinking for a moment. He regained his thoughts.

"Someone you like, Huh?" Rivalz asked, "That person is me, isn't it?"

"Sorry Rivalz, but I'm afraid it's someone else." Nina said.

Rivalz's heart broke into pieces of glass.

"Oh... I... see..." Rivalz said before he left without a word, _'I'm so gonna die as a virgin...'_

* * *

**Zero's Mobile Base**

"Gekka?" Naoto asked.

"Yes, Kyoto has commissioned the designer of the Guren and the Byakuen to create a mass-production model. The Pre-Production Test Type model, Type-3F, is coming in to us." Zero said, "I want you to pilot it."

Naoto smiles, "Well, I am a sly fox alright, and my skills in piloting a Knightmare Frame are of the Ace variety."

"It'll be equipped with the Radiant Wave Surger, much like the Guren, only it'll be an earlier model with power output and efficiency lower than the Guren's." Zero said, "But it should be powerful enough to destroy a Knightmare in one solid blow. The Byakuen is also having a few upgrades added into it so it can be used for aquatic combat."

"The Byakuen? Fight underwater? Not unless he's up against a group of Portmen." Naoto said.

"The Portman maybe fast in the water, but not as nearly as fast as the Byakuen." Zero said, "Besides, it'll be a test for Rei."

"A test on what? Seeing how long he can hold his breath?" Naoto asked.

"No, waiting for the opportune moment to strike the enemy with their guard down is the more appropriate name for his next lesson." Zero said.

"Oh... I get it." Naoto said, "You got something in mind?"

"Not yet... but in time, there will be an opportunity for him to be tested. Besides, he's got other lessons I have yet to teach him." Zero said.

"Like what?" Naoto asked.

"Being a responsible commander of his own unit as well as handling an army of his own." Zero said, "I'm sure by now that Britannia will no doubt throw their best at us, be it the Lancelot, Durandal, the Knight of Nine, or whatever advanced weapons the Britannians have built."

"So you're creating some kind of special ops force. One that can deal with whatever the Britannians try to throw at us." Naoto said.

"The White Flame Brigade." Zero said, "I've already began drawing plans for reorganizing the Black Knights anyways thanks to our size."

"Huh... I guess it would be time... how long until you've—"

"I'm working on it." Zero said, "As soon as I have the reorganization ready, I'll present it to the rest."

The door opened and Ohgi came in. He had a binder with papers in it.

"Zero, we got some intel from that Britannian applicant again. It's important. You might want to take a look." Ohgi said.

He gave Zero the binder and looked into it.

'This is—! I see... so the time is now?' Zero thought.

"What is it now?" Naoto asked.

"Well... it seem that Cornelia is heading for the docks to launch an assault on a detachment of the JLF that had gotten lost during the Narita Operation." Ohgi said, "From what the intel says, they're using a tanker filled with liquid Sakuradite that they plan on bartering with the Chinese, if we can get to them before Cornelia does, we might—"

"I see it Ohgi." Zero said, "Two opportunities that we must seize."

"And I'm guessing one of them is gaining more manpower and the other is getting Cornelia, for real this time and without her dying." Naoto said.

"Do you have some sixth sense or are you just that good at guessing?" Zero asked.

"Try both." Naoto said, "Ohgi, I'm counting on you on rallying everyone by the docks."

"R-Right..." Ohgi said.

"Well, better go and tell Kallen." Naoto said as he got up, "You do your thing while I do my thing."

"That I shall." Zero said.

* * *

**ASEEC Hangar**

"Seriously?!" Rai asked.

"Yes, she's having us tag along on the Operation." Schnee said.

"Does that mean she's—"

"Yup! She trusts you more than ever!" Ledo said.

Schnee smacked Ledo on the back of the head.

"The Glaston Knights are also on their way here and will arrive probably by the time the operation begins, so don't make yourself look like an idiot in front of them." Schnee said, "They'll be here by sundown. The Royal Marines and the Royal Airborne Infantry are getting involved and will be mostly conducting the operation with the army and the air force providing the Royal Marines with covering fire and support as they will be the ones who will capture the leader of the JLF detachment."

"The Glaston Knights?" Rai asked.

"Darlton's sons." Nonette said as she came in, "Ever since they heard of his death, they've come looking to get a chance at avenging him. This poor boys have no idea just how dangerous the White Beetle is."

"White Beetle?" Suzaku asked.

"That's what most of the recruits are calling him, so might as well." Nonette said, "Still... he gave Durandal a hard time in his last battle, and he's got that Gefjun Disturber Lloyd went on about."

"Gefjun Disturber?" Suzaku asked, "Wait... are you saying it's that weapon that disabled your Gloucester?"

"I'm afraid so." Nonette said, "If he fires that up again, our forces could be in jeopardy."

"And the Viceroy, is she—?"

"Her arm is getting better. At least she can pilot a Knightmare Frame now. Too bad she has to worry about it jamming up now and then." Nonette said, "Since her arm got crushed in Narita, we managed to incorporate some cybernetic prosthetics, but they are prototypes, so we don't know if they'll work at their best. She's getting use to them."

"No, I mean in regards to her... mental stability." Suzaku said.

"Oh..." Nonette said, "You know, after Narita happened, she shut herself in her room and drank like there was no tomorrow. Guilford apparently snapped her out of it."

"And?" Rai asked.

"I'm not sure what else." Nonette said, "I'm scared boys. I'm not sure what else is going through that head of hers. It makes me worry."

"Don't worry, we'll protect her." Suzaku said.

"Thank you." Nonette said, "Now make preparations."

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Rei and Nunnally were folding origami. He thought about what Milly told him in regards to his feelings.

"So... uh... Nunnally, do you... do you want to..." Rei said, "Do you want to go somewhere?"

Nunnally stopped. She processed his words and his voice. She suddenly looked a bit shocked.

"Uh... s-sure!" Nunnally said.

"R-Really?!" Rei exclaimed.

He accidentally folded the origami wrong.

"Y-Yeah... I mean, we are going out somewhere, aren't we?" Nunnally asked, "Besides... I didn't think we would be going on a date."

Both their cheeks flushed. Sayoko comes in to find the two giggling.

"Mistress Nunnally, is there something going on here?" Sayoko asked.

"Oh, well... we're going out." Nunnally said.

"Oh... I thought you were the shy type." Sayoko said.

"Well... I mean I guess..." Nunnally said as she rubbed her hands together, 'This is bad... I've never spent time with any boy on my own except my big brother...'

"Very well then, allow me to—"

"No. It's ok, Rei will be watching over me." Nunnally said, "It was his idea anyway."

"Oh... I see." Sayoko said, "Very well then, should I notify your brother?"

"Well... uh..."

"No. There's no need." Nunnally said.

"Oh... I see." Sayoko said, "Good luck on your date then."

"No no. I-it's not like a date! I mean, we're just going out together! Really!" Rei said.

* * *

_**Later**_

**Park**

Rei and Nunnally were enjoying the breeze as they were out in the park. They talked about so many things. Nina was watching with jealousy. Rivalz was with her.

"You know, why couldn't you have asked him out yourself?" Rivalz asked.

"I was too preoccupied and now she's in the middle of stealing his heart." Nina said, "If that's how she wants it, I'll steal his heart back!"

"You are too passionate with this..." Rivalz said, "Just don't stalk him days on end."

* * *

"So it's really true? Milly did that?" Rei asked.

"She did. She turned him down again. Poor guy can't catch a break." Nunnally said, "So... what were you and Nina doing last night?"

"Huh?" Rei asked.

"I heard moaning in stuff and I thought someone was hurt. But when I got to the door, it was locked." Nunnally said.

"Oh! Um... uh... I... uh... I got there first and well, I uh... I hit my toe on something!" Rei said as he tried to get the first part of that night out of his head, "That was totally me!"

"You were stuttering." Nunnally said, "Do I have to hold your hand?"

"No. I would never lie." Rei said.

"You better not be lying." Nunnally said.

"I wouldn't dare." Rei said.

He looked at Nunnally's hair. It was so long and beautiful. He felt a desire to touch it. He put his hands on her hair, causing her to meep.

"Nunnally?" Rei asked.

"Ah... oh, my bad. It's just that... whenever I'm with a boy other than my big brother I... I get all flustered and... and I... I start to lose track in things and... uh..." Nunnally said.

_'So if I hug her...'_ Rei thought, "Then what about this?"

He hugged her. She became all flustered.

"Rei! That's mean!" Nunnally said.

* * *

"Oh~. If only he could hug me like that~..." Nina said.

"Damn him! He's a player!" Rivalz said to himself.

* * *

_'She feels so soft.'_ Rei thought, "You're hair is soft Nunnally, almost as soft as you."

"S-Soft?!" Nunnally said as she was getting more flustered, "Rei... Wait..."

"Why should I wait? You love this feeling, don't you?" Rei said.

She was becoming more flustered.

* * *

"Oh if only he flirted with me like that~..." Nina said to herself.

"I'm doomed!" Rivalz said.

* * *

CC was watching with a disguise on. She could only look so expressionless.

"You really enjoy this, aren't you?" CC asked, "Oh shut up. It's not like that at all."

* * *

A little boy of Rei's age was hiding behind a tree. He looked like a timid brown hair and violet eyes. He wore a blue jacket with a white shirt underneath it. He felt a strange connection from seeing the two together. The boy clutched his chest, almost as if it was in pain. He looked at Rei and felt memories of the past flowing into him.

"Brother..." The boy called.

* * *

Rei felt a strange presence and looked behind him to see no one. Rivalz was freaking out.

"Nina, he's onto us." Rivalz said, "Nina?"

"I want him to notice me~." Nina said.

"Hell no you don't!" Rivalz said quietly.

* * *

Rei broke the hug and thought about the strange presence. His phone was ringing and he pulled it out.

_'Naoto-San?'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**_Later..._**

**Port Yokosuka**

Katase over saw the preparations of the operation. They had gotten at least 5 transport boats that could fit up to 12 Knightmares at a time. The only Burais being used for the operation are close range and long range Burai. The Byakuen was now outfitted for underwater combat. It had two bazookas with a watertight cockpit and a hydro jet.

Zero was briefing the Black Knights on the operation at hand.

"I've made contact with the remnants of the JLF that were lost. I managed to convince them to join our side." Zero said, "I've rigged the boat with an explosive device as well. As soon as the Royal Marines so much as touch that boat, boom. They'll be finished."

"So now they'll just be going after a boat with nobody on it." Naoto said, "Are you sure Cornelia is gonna buy it this time. After what happened at Narita, she wouldn't want that mistake again."

"Oh don't worry, she'll fall for it. I made it so convincing that she won't see the trap this time." Zero said, "The Byakuen will be deployed underwater and hide until the tanker explodes. When it does, it will take out any remaining Royal Marines left and then join us."

"And the rest of our guys?" Ohgi asked.

"They'll be waiting for the signal." Zero said.

He turned to Diethard.

"You gave us the information, yes?" Zero asked.

"Yes." Diethard said, "They'll also have the Air Force provide cover. If we take them out before they launch they become a problem..."

"I see then. Any possible locations where they'll have them hidden?" Zero asked.

"Warehouses. That's got to be where they're hiding them." Diethard said.

Rei looked at the Byakuen that had been upgraded for underwater combat.

"So I'll be able to swim?" Rei asked.

"Yes." A Black Knight said, "You should be fine under the water."

"R-Right!" Rei said, _'Who was that?'_

* * *

_**Night**_

Nina was walking in the harbor on her own. She knew Rei went this way. He must be off to fight again. She knew this was dangerous, but she had an obligation to help him. It was the least she could do for him.

"Nina?" A voice asked.

She turned to see Shirley and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank god. I thought you were Milly for a second." Nina said, "Wait, why are you—"

She immediately connected the dots and pinned her to the ground.

"We're you listening?" Nina asked.

"Listening? On what?" Shirley asked.

"Don't play dumb with me. Are you with the military?" Nina asked.

"No! I'm not!" Shirley said.

"Then why are you here?" Nina asked, "If you're with the SIS then you can—"

"Can you hear me out for once?!" Shirley asked.

Nina gave it thought. She got off of Shirley.

"Explain." Nina said.

Shirley got up, "Ok... look. There was this lady and she... she said Lulu is Zero."

"Lelouch? Zero? Impossible. He wouldn't..."

"I know. I don't want to believe it, but I have to find out. If I don't..." Shirley said, "If I don't find out the truth, then it'll just haunt me knowing that Lulu could be—"

Nina hugged Shirley.

"I know. I've been there before." Nina said.

"Nina?" Shirley asked.

"Rei... he... he's with the Black Knights." Nina said.

Shirley looked in shock, "No... that's not true. It can't be..."

"It is true. He gave me his reasons." Nina said, "His mother was an E—I mean she was Japanese and his father was a Britannian scientist. The military... they... they killed them during the war."

Shirley covered her mouth in shock. She thought to footage of the massacre at Shinjuku.

"I know. It's horrible. His parents did nothing wrong and they just... they just killed them." Nina said, "Now he has to deal with the fear of losing everyone he cares about right before his very eyes. That's why he... that's why he kept it a secret. He didn't want anyone he cared and loved dying because of him and his own actions."

Shirley got on her knees and tried to understand it all. She quickly thought about Lelouch and was beginning to reach that conclusion. If he was Zero, then maybe it would be the same for him. He wouldn't want to see anyone else he cared about getting hurt because of himself.

"Nina... I... I don't know." Shirley said, "What should I do? If Lulu is Zero, what should I do?"

"Shirley..." Nina said.

She helped her fellow high school student up. Villetta was watching from a distance.

_'So the immortal brat is in the Black Knights, that's just great.'_ Villetta thought, _'No matter, if I get him and Zero, I'll be more than an actual knight. I'll be even more than a Baroness!'_

* * *

The Byakuen had been put in the water ahead of time and was quietly waiting at the bottom of the harbor. Rei was in the cockpit. He was nervous in the water. He never swam before, maybe he ought to ask Shirley how to swim.

The same boy from before was in the docks looking for someone.

"Brother... where are you?" The boy asked.

* * *

He clutched his chest again as if his chest was hurting. The boy brought out a pill and took it. The pain in his chest was alleviating. He looked at his watch which had a heart monitor on it. It read his heartbeat. It was stabilizing now, but he knew that his heart would begin to act up again. He had to hang on and find him.

Naoto looked at the Gekka before him. It was a dark blue color scheme with a left arm that definitely looked like an early model of the Radiant Wave Surger the Guren carried. It also had a machine gun on its right arm and a Revolving Blade Sword on its waist. He picked up the keys he got from Zero and opened the cockpit and got inside it. Its head poked out with its mono orange eye camera. He felt comfortable with the Gekka.

"Well, this oughta be fun." Naoto said.

* * *

Durandal and his Rose Knights were on standby. He had his men keep a sharp eye out for anything unusual.

* * *

**Government Bureau**

The Glaston Knights had arrived, only for them not to be greeted by Cornelia but by Euphemia instead.

"Sub-Viceroy, where is the Viceroy?" Claudia asked, "Forgive me of my rudeness, but—"

"She's down at the docks on a military operation there." Euphemia said, "Is this about—?"

"Well yes actually, it is." Claudio said, "My brothers and I... we..."

"We respected our father greatly for giving us a place to stay. He was the best man in the world for us and nothing could change that." Bart said, "He died for Britannia, but we'll make damn sure that his death is not in vain."

"He... he gave us a place where we could be happy together..." Alfred said.

"Then that—! That White Beetle bastard came and killed him! He... he's gonna pay for killing our father!" David said as tears came from his eyes, "We won't let him off the hook no matter what!"

"Please understand your highness, our father cannot rest while he still breathes." Edgar said, "We cannot let him or the Black Knights escape with what they did to our father. He will be avenged, even if we die in the process."

"All of you..." Euphemia said.

"It was a vow we all swore to uphold the moment we decided to come here. If we all die trying, then at least the last bits of our memories together as brothers will accompany us to heaven or hell." Claudio said, "We will endure every loss we take, we'll fight on. Even if it gets us all killed. We will avenge our father."

* * *

**Port Yokosuka**

Lieutenant Bartlett had his Portman ready for combat. The RMI-13 Portman by itself was built solely for underwater combat, so it was poor in the aspect of land combat. He was a respectable Lieutenant in the Navy. He cared for his men above anything else. His earpiece cracked to life.

"Sir, The Viceroy has given us the all-clear." One of his men said.

"Alright then." Bartlett said, "It's showtime ladies! Dive!"

The Portmen dived into the water. Sutherlands along with the Lancelot and the Club headed out to the shoreline with Type-C anti personnel rifles.

"Remember, our job is to cover them from the shore, don't hit our guys or the tanker." A soldier told Suzaku, "We need it intact."

"Yes, my lord." Suzaku said.

* * *

The Somersets launched from the warehouses they were hidden in and set out for the ship to cover the Portmen. The Ground forces got to the shoreline and took aim. Two Portmen got up in front and fired their torpedos at the gate blocking them. They blasted the gate open, getting the attention of the soldiers on the boat. They quickly rushed out with rocket launchers and guns. The ground forces started shooting at the soldiers on the boat. Ohgi saw the battle go on.

"Zero, they're headed for the boat." Ohgi said, "Is everything on your end ready?"

"Yes. Now we wait." Zero said.

"Right..." Ohgi said.

Diethard watched from where Ohgi was.

_'I hope this isn't a mistake. I wouldn't want to find Zero as some Idealist.'_ Diethard thought.

* * *

Suzaku and Rai were taking the men that had the rocket launchers while ignoring the rest. The boat began to move.

"They're trying to run?" Rai asked.

"It would seem so." Suzaku said.

He felt unease about that boat. It was as if he felt something was wrong with that boat.

"Something about that boat doesn't feel right." Suzaku said.

"You don't like boats?" Rai asked.

"No... I just have a bad feeling about all of this." Suzaku said.

* * *

"Half of you get on that boat, me and the other half will check the ship for anything unusual." Bartlett said.

"Yes sir." The Pilots said.

Somersets had arrived and began gunning down what was left on deck. 10 Portmen fired their slash harkens and got on the boat. The other 10 with Bartlett among them checked the underside of the boat. Nothing was off about it.

"Looks clear! You're good!" Bartlett said.

"Sir, I found something strange." One of his men said.

"Hm?" Bartlett asked.

He went over to a Portman that was looking at a device.

"Now what do we have here?" Bartlett asked, "What the hell is it?"

"I don't know sir... should I dispose of it?" The seaman asked.

"Be careful with its removal. We don't know what it might do, so be easy with it." Bartlett said, "Here, I'll help."

"Sir, there's something in the water. It's by the mouth of the docks." One of his men said, "I'm heading out to investigate it."

"It's probably nothing soldier, just leave it." Bartlett said.

"But sir—"

"Leave it." Bartlett said.

"Yes sir..." the seaman said.

* * *

Suzaku suddenly saw an image of the tanker exploding into pink flames. He quickly got onto the Marines' frequency.

"Get off that boat! It's dangerous!" Suzaku said.

"Don't worry kid, I checked it for anything unusual. Not a single bomb." Bartlett said, "Now go back to your own channel and buzz someone else."

"No! You don't understand! That boat! Something bad is about to happen! You have to trust me!" Suzaku said.

"Suzaku? What are—"

He quickly pulled the factspheres out and scanned the boat. No explosives were on the boat. He looked below and saw something below the boat with infrared vision.

"Uh... is it me, or is there something below that boat that looks like a possible explosive?" Rai asked.

Bartlett looked at the device. His eyes widened in fear.

"No! Wait! Don't touch it!" Bartlett exclaimed, "That thing is—!"

"Lieutenant! These soldiers—! They—! They're—!"

"Who cares about them, get off the boat!" Bartlett said.

"But sir! They're Britannians!" The seaman said.

"WHAT?!" Bartlett asked.

Suddenly, a huge pillar of flame shot up and tore right through the ship and hit the Sakuradite inside. The liquid Sakuradite began to bubble and expand as it combusted. The Lancelot quickly shot a slash harken at a Portman and pulled it away from the ship as it exploded with tremendous force. The destructive power of Sakuradite blasted the Portmen on the ship as the others scattered from the blast. The Lancelot, the Club, and Ledo's Sutherland had shields up. The Somersets were shook up from the explosion and were losing control. The Somersets managed to maintain control. The boats went off into the chaos as the enemy were confused by the explosion.

"Now! While the Britannians are confused! We attack them head-on!" Zero said.

"Gun it Nagata!" Naoto said.

Rei reactivated the Byakuen and headed out. Nagata went full speed ahead on the boat.

* * *

"I can't believe it! They blew themselves all the way to hell!" Rai exclaimed.

"But why?" Suzaku asked.

"You... saved me." The seaman said, "What about the others?"

"Too much chatter! I can't get anything!" Rai said.

* * *

The boats jumped out of the water and slammed right into the Sutherlands. Zero's boat jumped out and slammed right into a warehouse.

"Jesus Nagata! I know said gun it, but I didn't mean gun it right into a warehouse!" Naoto said.

"I never drove a boat before!" Nagata said.

"Screw it anyways! We're disembarking!" Naoto said.

The boats opened up to reveal Burai.

"Now we head out!" Zero said, "Guren Mk2, Gekka! On me!"

"Right!" The Kozuki siblings said as they got off the boat.

Naoto looked back, _'I'm counting on you to deal with the enemy in the water, kid!'_

* * *

**Elsewhere**

"Move out!" Katase said, "The enemy is too confused to know where we are! Attack and don't let up!"

"Kuro Banzai!" The Black Knights shouted as they embarked.

Nina and Shirley hid themselves as the Black Knights went out.

_'Rei... please be safe out there on the battlefield...'_ Nina prayed.

Shirley looked at Nina, she was understandably worried about Rei. She too prayed for him to be alright.

_'Lulu...'_ Shirley thought.


	25. Chapter 24: Yokosuka Chaos

**Chapter 24: Yokosuka Chaos**

The Black Knights were swarming the docks as the Britannians tried to fend them off. Durandal and his Rose Knights were fighting their way to aid the Britannian Forces under the enemy assault. Meanwhile, under the water, the Portmen that escaped the blast were confused at the moment. One of the Portmen picked up something on radar. It looked like enemy submersible, but it was faster than any submarine. It turned to see a rocket hit it and make it explode. That caused all the other Portmen to turn around.

"Sir... is that?" A seaman asked.

"But it can't be..." Bartlett said.

But it was. The White Jack was swimming in the water with them, and he was out for blood in the water. They quickly scattered and went in to attack him from all sides. The Jack evaded the incoming torpedoes and fired a Bazooka at one of them. The rocket slams right into the chest, killing the pilot. He evaded a charge from one Portman and dodged another Portman. He fired at the Portman that went past him. The rocket hits the back, forcing the pilot to eject as his unit exploded. He fired another rocket at the Portman that was coming around. The rocket hits the Portman and it explodes. A Portman fired torpedos at the Byakuen. The Byakuen swiftly dodged the torpedoes and shot down the Portman. The Byakuen eliminates most of the Portman with ease.

Bartlett slammed into the Byakuen, knocking it back. He quickly turns it around for another charge.

"I'll make sure you sink in these waters, you damn beetle head!" Bartlett yelled.

* * *

**On the surface**

The Four Holy Swords along with Tohdoh charged in and slashed the enemies that were in their way. A Gloucester came out and charged at Tohdoh. He quickly dodged and swung his sword. The lance blocked the sword as sparks came from the chainsaw blades and the heat. Tohdoh recognized that Gloucester anywhere.

"Guilford..." Tohdoh said, "So even after your friend's passing, you still wish to fight?"

"If I didn't, I'd be disrespecting his name, something I wouldn't forgive myself of." Guilford said.

"I see, so you're willing to fight so you could make sure he can rest forever in peace." Tohdoh said.

Guilford pushed the Burai back.

"This time for sure, I'll end this right here and now, Kyoshiro Tohdoh!" Guilford exclaimed.

"Have at me!" Tohdoh exclaimed.

The two clashed with each other.

* * *

The Yamato kids were attacking relentlessly. Akihiro kept firing his cannons as Koji fires at the enemy from behind. Aya knocked enemy Sutherlands down as the other two were blasting them.

* * *

The Rose Knights were pinned down at the moment. Durandal gunned down a Burai, but more kept coming.

"This is getting us nowhere sir, they just keep coming." A Knight said.

"Hold your ground! We can't let them push through us here!" Durandal said.

"Sir, an emergency message from one of the Marines, The White Jack is facing Bartlett!" Another Knight said.

"Jack?!" Durandal asked, "Hold your positions! I'll help the Viceroy!"

"Yes! My lord!" The Knights said as Durandal left.

* * *

Cornelia got in the cockpit. She had kept her composure. She knew letting her emotions getting in the way wouldn't do her good anymore. In a sense, Narita helped opened her eyes to a reality that she did not face or realize. It didn't matter if she was the Goddess of Victory or the Witch of Britannia. If she did not take action or made the right actions, someone close to her would die. She didn't stop Lelouch from going into the throne room, and then he and his sister turn up dead. She didn't take viceroyship of Area 11 when she could have after it was conquered, and that got Clovis killed. She didn't think Zero would appear, and that got Darlton killed. The more and more she lost, the more her heart began to harden with each and every death and loss.

During all that time she locked herself away and drank, she had begun to reflect on her mistakes, on what could have been if it had been her instead. She thought about many things. She did not consider suicide for one second, that much was sure. She just wanted to be left alone, have time to reflect, and then make sure she wouldn't repeat the mistakes that lead to her shortcomings. Narita had changed her. It made her want to kill Zero even more, though she suppressed that desire easily. She wanted to make sure that there was peace in Area 11, but that would mean killing Zero, who made himself practically untouchable. More importantly, it made her stronger in the sense that she had to be better, even if it meant being more ruthless and disregard honor and integrity altogether.

Zero's Burai slammed into Cornelia's Gloucester as she powered it on. She got the Gloucester back on its feet. She fired a slash harken, only for the Gekka to jump out in front and knock it aside with a Revolving Blade Sword.

"A mass-produced version of that new model?" Cornelia asked.

"Well, more like a pre-production model." Naoto said, "Now Princess, be a good girl and come out of the cockpit, you wouldn't want to ruin that makeup of yours."

The Guren fired a slash harken to wrap the Gloucester completely.

"It's over. I call checkmate." Zero said.

Cornelia was silent.

"Then why don't you just kill me then?" Cornelia asked, "I'm not leaving this thing. Not on any condition that you give me."

"Look, we can just force you out or you get out." Naoto said, "Choose the quick and painless option."

Again, she was silent.

"If that's how it is then..." Zero said.

The console lets off a warning. He looks on the monitor as a part of it zoomed in to see Shirley.

_'Shirley? What's she—?'_

He quickly sensed danger coming from behind and turned around. The Lancelot jumped out from behind.

"Move it!" Naoto said as he pushed Zero out of the way and barely missed the green energy shield by an inch.

The Lancelot landed on its feet as the Club came in. Nina pulled Shirley back and slapped her in the face.

"What were you thinking?!" Nina asked, "Are you trying to make Lelouch worry half to death?!"

"N-No! I—!"

"Then keep your head down!" Nina said.

"Oh if isn't Sir Lancelot and his deadweight brother." Naoto said, "How are you doing gentlemen."

"Call me deadweight one more time, see what happens." Rai said as he pulled out his MVSs and joined them together.

"Zero, you won't have the Viceroy!" Suzaku said.

"Lancelot, I didn't think you'd show up." Zero said, "I wish we could talk, but I'm afraid I don't want to talk to you right now."

* * *

The Byakuen fired a rocket at the Portman. Bartlett dodged the incoming rocket and rushed at the Byakuen. The Byakuen caught the Portman and fired the rocket launcher. Bartlett ejected from his Portman before it exploded. The Byakuen fired a slash harken and got up on the docks. A Burai was coming in with the 7-Type Arm. Rei jettisoned the right arm so the Burai could fit the 7-Type in. The arm locked in and calibrated with the OS.

"Thanks." Rei said, "Where's Zero?"

"He's with the Guren and the Gekka." The Black Knight said.

"Alright then, I'll head over and help him." Rei said.

He moved in to rendezvous with Zero.

* * *

The Grail came out fired its sword harkens, forcing the Guren and the other two to back off. The Grail landed in front of the Gloucester.

"Sorry, but there can be only one red ace and one masked person, so the both of you will have to go." Durandal said.

The Byakuen arrived and had the blades come out and join together.

"Ah... you again." Durandal said, "You never cease to amaze me."

The Byakuen rushes at the Grail. The Grail pulled a sword out of its rack and blocked the blade.

"Seriously, look how far you've come." Durandal said before kicking the Byakuen into the Guren.

The two Knightmares got back up on their feet. Cornelia rushes at Zero. He dodged the incoming attack. She relentlessly gave chase after the Burai as it retreated back and fired at the Gloucester. She blocks the incoming bullets with her shield. The Lancelot stopped the Guren while the Gekka was halted by the Club.

"Move it smurf, or I'll fry you like an egg in a microwave!" Naoto said.

"Please don't..." Rai said.

"Move aside!" Kallen yelled.

"Not a chance!" Suzaku said.

Durandal and Rei clashed against one another.

"You're a marvel indeed. You have survived battle after battle despite being so young." Durandal said, "You know, I hope they remember you when this is all over, if there is any of them left that is."

Rei backed away and fired the Bazooka on his left arm. The Grail dodged the incoming shot and fired a burst of bullets at the Byakuen. The Byakuen dodged the incoming bullets and fired again. The rocket slams into the rifle, forcing Durandal to throw it away and pull out another sword to use. The Byakuen blocks the swords with its blade. He fired the bazooka. The Grail dodged the shot and kicked the Byakuen back. The Byakuen recovers from the hit.

"You never seem to give up, do you?" Durandal asked.

* * *

Cornelia was relentlessly in pursuit of Zero. All she wanted now was his death. She just wanted to kill him. Nothing else mattered to her anymore. Zero kept evading her attacks as he kept shooting at her, only for her to use the shield to protect her.

"It's hopeless you filthy lowborn scum! You're all out of tricks! All out of mind games! You have nothing!" Cornelia exclaimed, "I'll make sure to have you suffer my wrath and give you a painful death!"

_'Damn! She's like a lion!'_ Lelouch thought, _'I can't continue like this! She'll back me into a corner!'_

He had to escape her sight somehow. He activated the factsphere to find anything he could use to blind her. He saw containers filled with Sakruadite. He tossed a chaos mine. It flung shrapnel at her, prompting her to use the shield. The shrapnel deflected and hit the sakuradite, causing a container, along with the rest of the stack, to explode with great force and an intense light. She covered her eyes and waited for the flash to fade. Her Gloucester was thrown off to the side from the blast. It was gone and she looked around. She used her factsphere to find Zero, only to lose track of him.

"I don't care where you are, I'll find you and rip you to pieces!" Cornelia said.

Zero was hiding behind a warehouse and watched as Cornelia walked by him without her noticing him.

_'Good... I evaded her... but now what? She'll never stop until she sees me dead.'_ Lelouch thought, _'I got to use that rage of hers against her.'_

Shirley and Nina were trying to find a good place to hide in.

* * *

"Great! Just great! We're lost!" Nina said, "All because you had to peek your head out like a turtle!"

"I'm sorry! I froze up back there and I was doing something incredibly stupid!" Shirley said.

"Shirley, I am having a panic attack right now. I am actually having a real panic attack right now." Nina said, "My doctor told me this was bad for my health, so technically, you are murdering me right now."

"Oh, so you're saying this is my fault." Shirley said, "You are pinning the blame on me."

"If you hadn't come here, everything would have been a lot smoother and—!"

"Um... I'm sorry, but have you two girls seen my brother yet?" The brunette boy asked as he wandered as if he were lost, "I don't know where he is..."

"Can't you see I'm having a panic attack right now?!" Nina exclaimed.

The boy flinched and vanished.

"What the—! Where did he—?!" Nina stutters, "Did you see that?"

"Weren't you having a panic attack just now?" Shirley asked.

"Well I was until he showed up and... now he's gone..." Nina said, "What the hell is wrong with Area 11?"

"I don't know Nina. I just don't know." Shirley said.

"Yeah, I'm just as confused as you are." Nina said.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Cornelia howled as she sprayed a warehouse with bullets, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"We gotta hide." Nina said.

"Why?" Shirley asked.

"Because the Goddess of Victory sounds like a bloodthirsty Witch out for blood." Nina said, "She'll kill us and she won't even notice it for a second!"

The girls quickly took shelter and hid while Cornelia out hunting for the masked man. She fired on the next warehouse and checked it. There was nothing. She kept looking.

_'If I can get her from behind, I should be able to disarm her on foot.'_ Lelouch thought.

He aimed the grenade launcher at the back of the head.

_'If I can hit the head—!'_

He pulls the trigger and fired the grenade launcher. The Gloucester quickly turned and blocked the grenade.

"ZERO!" Cornelia roared as she rushed towards him.

"Damn!" Lelouch said.

He backs away from Cornelia as she fired at his Burai. She was in hot pursuit once again. He had to lose her again. He reached for a chaos mine and threw it up. The shrapnel hits the containers, causing them explode. Zero used the explosion to quickly hide.

* * *

The Gekka and the Club clashed blades. The two backed away from each other. Naoto charged again, winding the left arm back.

_'Like hell you will!'_ Rai thought as he brought the Blaze Luminous shield to bear.

_'Guess again!'_ Naoto thought before spin kicking the arm out of the way.

He thrusts the left arm and caught the Club's head.

"Got ya!" Naoto said.

Rai kicked the left arm off him and backed away.

"Good instincts! Too bad you don't have the brains to keep up with me!" Naoto said.

"Let's see about that!" Rai said as he pointed the rifle at him.

Naoto backed away and aimed the handgun at the Club. The two started shooting each other.

* * *

Kallen and Suzaku clashed over and over, trying to beat one another. The Guren dodged a spin kick from the Lancelot. Suzaku activated the boosters to quickly bring himself face to face with the Guren. Suzaku fired the rifle at the Guren. The Guren evaded the bullets and rushed at the Lancelot.

_'Damn! I can't hit it! No matter how many times I try, it always evades and blocks my attacks!'_ Suzaku thought.

_'That thing may have been upgraded, but I still have the advantage in specs!'_ Kallen thought, _'I'll defeat him here and now!'_

The Guren and the Lancelot clashed once again.

* * *

The Byakuen and the Grail clashed swords with each other. The Byakuen backed away and pulled out its cannon and fired both its cannon and bazooka.

"You think that will hit me?!" Durandal howled as he dodged the incoming attacks.

_'There!'_ Rei thought as he aimed off to the right.

The Grail goes off to the right as the Byakuen fired. Durandal was quick to dash left.

"Damn!" Rei cursed.

He aims at a container filled with sakuradite and shoots at it. A round hits the container and makes it explode. He used the explosion to make a hasty run towards where Zero was.

* * *

The Glaston Knights has arrived, but only for the Four Holy Swords to block them.

"No way pal!" Urabe said.

"You gotta get through us first if you want the Colonel!" Asahina said.

"Damn!" Edgar said.

"Lord Guilford!" Claudio said.

"I'll be fine! Just go find the Princess!" Guilford said, "I'll hold Tohdoh here!"

"But—!"

David rushed off.

"David!" Alfred exclaimed.

"Don't worry! If he can get to the Viceroy, at least she'll be safe." Claudio said.

* * *

Rei rushes off to find Zero. As he did, he felt a murderous intent. He felt his body shake with fear. He shook his head, trying to keep the fear out.

_'Zero... please be safe...'_ Rei thought.

* * *

Ledo decapitated Aya's Burai as Schnee headshots Akihiro's Burai. Koji fired a shot at Schnee and decapitated his Sutherland. Ledo fires at the Burai and forces Koji to eject.

"Schnee! Are you ok?!" Ledo asked.

"I'm fine!" Schnee said.

* * *

Cornelia looked endlessly for Zero. It was getting her nowhere. She was losing her patience and she was losing it fast. Lelouch was in hiding again. He quickly felt a presence approaching. It was... it was Rei! He was coming! The fool had no idea what he was getting himself into. Cornelia is already out for blood and if he shows up, she'll kill him on the spot!

Rei saw the Viceroy prowling, looking for Zero. The murderous intent was coming from her. He could sense it. She was more of a skilled fighter than he was. He had to be careful about her. The only reason he got her was because she was too focused on killing Zero the last time she saw him. He aimed the bazooka at her. He fired the bazooka. Cornelia was quick to turn around and block the shot with the shield. The shield withstood the rocket.

"What?!" Rei asked.

"You think I forgot about Narita, did you?!" Cornelia said, "Zero's pupil... Darlton's Killer... finally! I have you **and** Zero within my grasp! I'll make damn sure he listens to your pathetic screaming as I bring nothing but torment onto you!"

He shot a slash harken and knocked the rifle out of her hands and fired the bazooka again. The Gloucester dodged the incoming attack and pulled her sword out from the shield.

"I'll enjoy every seconded hearing you beg for mercy as I bring you a slow and tormenting death!" Cornelia said before rushing at him.

He pulled the cannon back and joined the blades together. She swung her sword down. He blocks the sword with his combined blade. She swung her sword wildly, each strike being blocked by the blade. She bashed him with the shield and then kicked him down. Rei fell on his back. The Witch of Britannia tried to stab the Byakuen, but Rei changes the combined blade into scissors. He caught the blade and got back up. He aimed the bazooka at her, but she bashed the Byakuen again with her shield. She got her blade free from the scissors and kicked the boy away from her. He hits a wall and hits the back of his head. He was disoriented from the impact. He started to recover from his disorientation as Cornelia rushed in to kill him.

"Now die!" Cornelia yelled.

He brought the combined blade out and stopped the sword.

_'This hatred... it's unbelievable...'_ Rei thought.

"You little brat!" Cornelia yelled as she wildly attacked him relentlessly.

He blocked the attacks one after the other. Nina was being held back by Shirley.

"Let me go!" Nina demanded, "Let me go Shirley! Just let me go!"

"Are you crazy?! You'll die!" Shirley reminded Nina.

"But I can't! I can't lose him! I—! I don't want him to die! Let me go, Shirley! Please! He—! I just—! I don't want to lose him!" Nina said as she was beginning to shed tears, "I don't want him to die! I don't want to lose him! Not after all he did to save me! I can't let him die! I just can't!"

"Rei! You got to get away from her! She hates me the most! You have to run! She'll kill you!" Zero told him.

"I can't! She's relentless! I can't do anything to get out of this!" Rei exclaimed as he blocked her relentless assault.

"Just hang on! I'm coming to help!" Zero exclaimed.

"No! She'll kill you!" Rei exclaimed.

"I know that, but I chose you as to be my successor for a reason!" Zero said, "You have to live so you can carry on the Black Knights! I don't care if I die, if you can carry on my will, then my death will not be in vain!"

_'I know that... but... but...'_ Rei thought.

He thought about the family he lost, the family he gained, and the friends he made. He thought about his reason for fighting. He fought so he could make the world a better place for everyone to be happy in. It brought tears into his eyes as he thought about all of those people he cared about.

"As long as there is hope, there's a way, and when we find a way, we find a future."

"I wish for a gentler world."

"We can understand one another while overcoming many obstacles and know more about each other."

He thought about everyone he cared about, Zero, the Black Knights, everyone at Ashford, Nunnally, Lalah, Nina, and everyone else he met. The fear of losing them all again built up inside him again. He saw the images of his father's death and then images of all that he cared about being killed or taken away from him right before his eyes. He didn't want that. He didn't want what happened to him before happen again. He didn't want anyone close to him to die.

**CLANG!**

His blade was knocked out of the way.

"Now I have you!" Cornelia said as she thrusts her sword, "Your life is in my hands!"

He knew he regenerated from getting shot thanks to the cells of that immortal witch, but that sword could kill him. This was it. His regenerative abilities weren't going to save him. He was going to die. That sword was big enough to kill him. His life flashed before his eyes. He also saw everyone he cared about mourning his death, even though he wasn't sure what it meant. He could hear Nunnally sobbing and crying.

_'Everyone... I...'_

Rei closed his eyes, _'I'm sorry!'_

An image of Nunnally appeared before him.

_'Nunnally!'_

**BANG!**

A bullet hits the Gloucester's head, however, the damage was insignificant. That sudden shot to the head made Cornelia lose focus. The sword misses the Byakuen by a few inches away. Cornelia looked to see a really angry Nina holding a Eleven sidearm. Rei noticed the sidearm and quickly recognized that it was **his** sidearm! But how could she have gotten it?! There's no way unless—!

"Nina..." Rei said.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU BITCH!" Nina yelled.

"Nina! Stop! What are you doing?!" Shirley exclaimed.

Cornelia looked stunned by all of this. A Britannian commoner shot her! An Imperial Princess! This was a betrayal! She was being betrayed by the very people she swore to defend! And on top of that, she called her a—! This was unacceptable! This was treason of the highest level! She quickly deployed an anti-personnel gun from under the chest and shot it at Nina. A bullet goes through her gut. Nina loses balance from the shock of the bullet. Rei's eyes widened upon seeing it happen.

"Nina!" Shirley screamed as she rushed over to her.

The girl fell in Shirley's arms.

"Nina! Oh god, Nina no! Stay with me Nina! Stay with me!" Shirley said, "Nina! Nina! Stay with me Nina! Breathe! Breathe!"

Nina was having trouble with her breathing. The pain was burning her lungs. She could only look to the Byakuen and reach out for it.

"R-Rei... I... I'm sorry..." Nina said as she tried to breathe.

* * *

Lelouch saw Nina bleeding on the ground and the smoking barrel of the anti-personnel gun Cornelia fired. Shirley applied pressure to the wound while she dialed the ambulance. This had set off a flash in his mind as he thought about the Aries Villa incident. Anger immediately ensued as soon as he got his mind back to the present. He roared as he charged at her Gloucester and slammed into it.

"CORNELIA!" Lelouch roared.

"ZERO! YOU—!"

He punched the Gloucester in the face, breaking off one of the antennas off her Gloucester's head. He didn't hesitate to kick the Gloucester repeatedly. The Gloucester blocked a kick and pushed the Burai back.

"You—! You damn witch! How could you do that?!" Zero yelled.

"She got what she deserved! She was a traitor to Britannia!" Cornelia said, "Anyone who opposes Britannia or its royal family will pay the price!"

"You—!" Zero said as he rushed at her.

He rammed into again. She kicked the Burai back and puts the sword and shield together to make the great sword. She swung it at the Burai. The sword came down onto the cockpit. The Burai became unresponsive. Rei had seen the whole thing before him. Something quickly snapped without warning. In absolute rage, he roared as he got back up and pulled the drill out. His Geass switched on and light covered the drill as it spun. Cornelia blocks the drill with her shield, however, the drill, with the light cladding it made the drill much more stronger, punched right through the shield and went straight into the cockpit. Cornelia screamed in pain as the drill ripped her apart inside the Gloucester. Blood splattered all over the cockpit. Rei stops the drill and kicks the Gloucester away from him.

His Geass switched off and he looked to Nina. He saw the brown haired boy tending to her. He turned to the Burai to see... Zero, who turned out to be Lelouch this whole time. Shirley was with him.

"Lelouch! Wake up! Come on! Don't go..." Shirley said.

She had tears coming from her eyes. Lelouch's eyes flickered open. He looked to see Shirley crying over his chest.

"Shirley..." Lelouch said, "It's alright, I'm not going anywhere."

"Lelouch?" Shirley muttered.

She looked up to see Lelouch.

"I guess I can't push you away from me, now can I?" Lelouch asked, "Is... Is Nina..."

"She'll live. I know she'll live..." Shirley said.

Lelouch sighed, "You've been through enough, haven't you?"

Villetta smiled with glee. She got him! She finally got him! Now she could—!

**CLICK**

She turned to see Diethard with a gun equipped with a silencer at her gut.

"You son of a—!"

He shot Villetta with the silenced gun. She fell to the side, losing consciousness.

"Sorry, but the identity of the star of this show stays top secret." Diethard said, 'I guess I wasn't making a mistake after all.'

He searched her to find a book of evidence and clues of her search for the boy.

_'A mere school boy who has seen the truth and desires to fight against the system in the sake of justice... now that would make for one hell of a story!'_ Diethard thought.

* * *

David finds Cornelia's Gloucester to have a nasty hole in it.

"No... no no no!" David exclaimed, "Viceroy! Speak to me! Viceroy!"

"That... that voice... David?" Cornelia asked, "Forget about me..."

"The Glaston Knights have lost enough your highness." David said, "we will not tolerate your death!"

Cornelia had the right side of her abdomen torn to pieces by the drill. It would take a medical miracle to heal from those wounds.

* * *

"Are you serious?!" Durandal asked.

"We got word from the Glaston Knights. Cornelia's condition is critical. What should we—"

"Take the men and get out, I'll rendezvous with you!" Durandal said _'Damn you little rabbit! First a Knight, and a now a Princess?! What's next, the Emperor?!'_

* * *

"No! It can't be!" Guilford exclaimed.

"It's true... her condition is... I'm sorry sir." David said.

Guilford slammed his fist onto the console, "Sound the retreat... we can't fight like this..."

"Yes sir..." David said.

* * *

The retreat order sounded off and the Lancelot and the Club retreated. Schnee and Ledo escaped. The Glaston Knights make their getaway with Guilford, leaving Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords behind.

"Do we pursue?" Senba asked.

"No... we've done enough." Tohdoh said.

* * *

An ambulance came by the docks and picked Nina up and went off to take her to the hospital. Rei opened the cockpit and rushed over to Lelouch and hugged him tightly and sobbed over him.

"It's ok Rei... it's ok... I'm not leaving you or anyone else." Lelouch said.

"I'm glad it was you..." Rei said, "I'm glad that you're Zero..."

"Hey hey, no need to be so emotional." Lelouch said, "You're starting to sound like Suzaku."

* * *

The brown haired boy looked at Rei with a smile and tears.

"Brother... I've found you at long last... I won't have to be alone anymore." The boy said.

Yokosuka had gone quiet. The day was done.

* * *

_**A day later...**_

**Hospital**

Nina woke up in the hospital with a teary eyed Rei sobbing over her.

"R-Rei..." Nina said, "I'm sorry about what I did. I didn't mean to..."

"Thank god..." Rei said, "Thank god you're still alive..."

"Rei..." Nina said.

Rivalz and the rest of the student council, save for Suzaku and Rai, came in. Rivalz was blathering nothing but gibberish.

"Oh thank god..." Milly said, "I had a panic attack when I heard you were out there in the docks..."

"Sorry..." Nina said.

"What matters is that you're ok now." Lalah said.

"I'm glad you're ok." Nunnally said, looking a bit teary.

"You had us all worried." Lelouch said, "Seriously, Milly looked like she was about to die."

"Oh shut up." Milly said.

"And Rivalz was—"

"Finish that sentence and we're no longer best buds." Rivalz said.

* * *

**Different Hospital**

Cornelia was treated quickly. She is expected to make a recovery. Cornelia's internal organs had been damaged and needed repairs. Euphemia was left alone to be with her sister as she was recovering. All she could do was sob as the heart monitor beeped.


	26. Chapter 25: Long Lost Brother

**Chapter 25: Long Lost Brother**

"Is it really ok for that clone to run off on his own?" Charles asked.

"Charles, we have dozens more of those. I mean come on, we didn't just clone that guy just because we technically **needed** him, we did it just to... fix a few errors with that failure." VV said, "Besides, I have a mental link to him, so as long as that—"

He went silent.

"Brother?" Charles asked.

"That Witch... she cut the connection loose!" VV said.

"CC?" Charles asked, "Well where is she?"

"Well... uh... I guess... she's still in Area 11 and uh... um... shoot..." VV said.

"So she's in Area 11, but you don't have her precise coordinates?" Charles asked.

"Charles... she's like a needle in a haystack. You lose it and it'll take forever to find it." VV said, "I'm immortal, you're not."

"Well that's not a problem." Charles said, "At least we know where she is."

"Well... I guess you're right." VV said, "But there is the problem of that loose end of hers."

"Oh? You mean one of her earlier contractors still live?" Charles asked.

"Yes, and his Geass is at the same point your Geass is at, only he's a runaway." VV said, "Mentally unstable and quite dangerous. We can't let him have her Code."

"You want him eliminated?" Charles asked.

"It's for the best. Can't let that Code go missing for when Ragnarok begins." VV said, "If we have at least 2 Codes, that will be enough for Ragnarok to commence with guaranteed success."

"So are you sending someone in to—"

"Well yes, but to be safe, I have Pluton going after him." VV said, "Trust me, he won't be getting far, especially with her going after him."

* * *

**Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11**

The whole student council was in shock when the brown haired boy who had passed out in front of the school leaped out and called Rei his big brother. It was all too sudden. All too strange. There was not the slightest context in their minds that could help them understand this.

"Rei's Brother..." Rai said.

"Dude... is that even—? What?" Rivalz asked.

"I'm too confused to understand anything." Milly said.

"I think my last two brain cells just stopped working." Lelouch said.

"But how can they be brothers if they're not related?" Suzaku asked.

"I don't know." Kallen said.

Nina was silent and had a slack jaw. Shirley tried to process all of this. Rei was too confused by all of this.

"Oh it's good to see you brother! I never thought I'd see you again." The boy said.

"Br—Brother?! Hold on a second! I—!"

"I'm so glad I got to see you again!" The boy said.

"How do you even know me?" Rei asked.

"Don't you remember?" The boy asked, "Wait, you don't remember me?"

"Don't know, depends if he **does** remember you." Rivalz said.

"Alright guys, let's give the two some space." Lelouch said.

The whole student council leaves to give the two boys some time alone. The boy stopped hugging him.

"You never told me your name, what is it?" Rei asked.

"Rolo." The boy said.

"Rolo?" Rei asked, _'Wait... why do I feel like I've heard that—'_

Flashes went off in his mind. Words, images, sounds, all of these things flooded his mind. He was beginning to remember a memory of the past.

* * *

"Brother! Brother!" A young Rei was crying over someone who was dying.

The person who was dying looked like the boy Rolo.

_"I'm sorry... Kalio... forgive me..."_ He said, _"My time has come... you must... you must flee..."_

_"Brother... Brother..."_ Rei said.

_"We were nothing but tools, weapons constructed to do whatever we were told to do... I realize that now... I was such a fool..."_ the boy said, _"My fate is sealed... but not yours... it can change... it can change for the better..."_

_"Brother..."_ Rei said.

He was going to reach for his brother, but all of a sudden, he was pushed against a wall. His body was being dragged into the wall. The wall glowed red and he reached out crying out his name.

_"Oh Gods, please... take him... and take him to a safe place..."_ The boy said.

_"BROTHEEEEEEER!"_ Rei cried out.

* * *

He returned to reality. His eyes were shedding tears. He remembered now. He had a brother once... a brother who was dead. He wasn't sure if the memory was real or fake because the Rolo he saw from that memory and the one in front of him seem different. They look and sound the same, but something about the personality is different. It was like he was looking at his brother, only that it didn't feel like his brother at all. He hugged the boy.

"Brother?" Rolo asked.

He hugged Rei as he hugged Rolo. He didn't know why, even though this boy didn't feel like the boy he called brother, he had tears coming from his eyes. Rolo hugged Rei. Suddenly, everything froze and his arms phased through Rolo.

"One by one, your memories keep returning." A familiar voice said.

He turned to see the lady from Lake Kawaguchi.

"You again..." Rei said, "What do you want?"

"Your destiny awaits you." The woman said, "You must go to the Island of the Gods where the Thought Elevator awaits. C will tell you of your destiny."

"Island of the Gods? Thought Elevator? What does all of that mean?" Rei asked.

"You will know when you meet C." The woman said, "For now, stay steadfast."

The wheels of time quickly resumed and he was back to hugging Rolo. He backed away from Rolo and wiped his tears.

"Nice to... see you again... brother." Rei said.

* * *

**Militarized Zone of India, Chinese Federation**

Neha and Rakshata were looking over the data sent from Kyoto. The Guren Mk2, Byakuen, and Pre-Gekka have performed optimally and beyond expectations.

"Ganabanti is going to love this." Neha said, "Oh how my Byakuen has finally done it!"

"**Our** Byakuen, I helped you design it remember? And Ganabanti worked overtime on it too, remember?" Rakshata asked.

"O-Oh..." Neha said, "Still, the pilot for the Byakuen is amazing!"

"Yeah, the pilot did incredibly well." Rakshata said, "Let's not forget about the Guren and the Pre-Gekka, both of their pilots did great."

"Not only that, it did much more than what we expected." Neha said.

"And apparently, he's your age." Rakshata said.

"What?" Neha asked.

"I'm not kidding, it says it right here." Rakshata said.

Neha looked at the terminal and scrolled through the data to find that Rakshata was right. The pilot is someone at her age.

"But how?" Neha asked, "How can someone who's my age be able to—?"

"Don't question it hon. It's best that you don't." Rakshata said, "For all we know, he could be a prodigy."

"R-Really?!" Neha asked.

"Well... he is of Zilkhstan descent if I'm not mistaken." Rakshata said, "You know how they are known to be great warriors in the midst of combat, so I guess he'd be good in a fight, but not this good."

"Oh... of course... Zilkhstan's known for having the best mercenaries out there." Neha said, "So now that we have all this data, do we—?"

"Yes, production of the Gekka will start as soon as the parts come in." Rakshata said, "Now that weapon you've been working on, it's finished, correct?"

"Yes, the Variable Super Electromagnetic Barrel Device or VSEBD is complete!" Neha said, "Though, it's not completely complete... it needs some adjustments."

Of course, the component for the final weapon of the 7-Type Arm, the VSEBD. It had a sakuradite activation drive built into it and was made to combine with the Byakuen's EM Accelerator Cannon to form the final weapon for the Byakuen, the Super Electromagnetic Accelerator Cannon. A weapon that, in theory, could fire projectiles so fast and with such high amounts of kinetic energy, could smash right through almost any form of protection and armor thanks to the sakuradite activation drive installed into the weapon. The weapon, should this theory be true, would release high amounts of energy that could risk an explosion and utterly destroy the right arm, if not the Byakuen if the great amount of recoil from firing it. She added a cooling vent on the gun and a bipod as a precaution.

Neha, being the prodigy she is at developing Knightmare Frame technology, had helped Rakshata considerably and by extension, the resistance movement in Area 11.

* * *

**Government Bureau, Tokyo Settlement**

Cornelia had recovered and was finally out of the hospital, only to find out that the people were becoming increasingly concerned about the effects the Black Knights are having on the Elevens. Even the aristocrats were beginning to express their worries. She felt that she herself was to be partially blamed for all of this. She had underestimated the Black Knights yet again and was outplayed by Zero once again. This land was practically cursed. It had taken her siblings and her knight. The pain of losing them was unbearable. She still had those horrid nightmares where she would see those who had died and tormented her with nothing but words, sentences, questions. And then there was Zero, holding Euphemia at gun point. Oh how that image burned in her head and stayed there in her mind like a scar. It was as if this cursed land was testing her sanity.

Then there was Zero and the Jack. Zero had killed Clovis while the Jack had taken Darlton's life. She lost both a sibling and a Knight to the Elevens. Her desire for vengeance had become attached to her psyche and was not going to leave her until she got vengeance. Nonette warned Cornelia to suppress that desire, to suppress that hatred. If she allowed her hatred and desire for vengeance push her over the edge again, what happened in Narita and Yokosuka would repeat and maybe kill her at some point.

* * *

**Diethard's Apartment**

Diethard put the papers in a shredder and let it do all the rest. He couldn't allow Villetta's findings to exist, not while there was much that Zero himself could do.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Rolo was getting along with everyone in the student council and was fitting in just nicely. He was getting to like everyone.

Lelouch and CC were discussing about the events of what happened by the docks.

"I didn't think Nina would have the gall to shoot at Cornelia with a handgun of all things. I don't even know why she would even go to such lengths in the first place." Lelouch said, "Nonetheless, now that I know Cornelia is the type to hold a grudge, hiding her would have to be the safest option along with Shirley since she was there as well."

"And just how exactly would you hide them?" CC asked, "Erasing their records is one thing, but trying to hide them won't be that easy."

"I suppose that's true." Lelouch said as he rubbed his chin, "I can't exactly put them in the Black Knights either..."

"Why?" CC asked.

"Because they're Britannians, sure there's Diethard, but the Black Knights let him in only because he gave us valuable information." Lelouch said, "We're talking about a couple of high school girls with no combat experience whatsoever. And Nina? She's afraid of the Japanese."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." CC said, "Apparently, she's been acting completely different."

"Completely different?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, apparently, she's been getting more chummy and friendly with Suzaku." CC said.

That was strange. She never would friendly with an Eleven. That was something he was going to have to look into later.

"Can't you just use Geass to—"

"I'd only use it when it's necessary." Lelouch said, "Besides, those two have been through enough."

"I see..." CC said, "And Rei's 'brother,' what about him?"

"I'll find out more about him myself." Lelouch said, "I'll get everything out of him. After that, I'll see what I can do with him."

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Rei and Nunnally were having cups of tea together. They talked about numerous things to pass the time. Rolo was there too. He was having cups of tea with them. He never tasted tea before. Once he did, he felt like he was in heaven. He never thought that tea would taste so divine. It was made by Sayoko no less! It was the most scrumptious tea he's ever had.

"You like the tea?" Nunnally asked.

"It's fantastic~." Rolo said, "Can I have more?"

"You can." Nunnally said.

"Thank you~." Rolo said.

Rolo quivered before the sensation he was feeling. Rei watched as Rolo enjoyed the tea. It was heartwarming to see Rolo so happy.

"You know, it's kind of surprising that you even had a brother." Nunnally said.

"Well... I never knew I had a brother until now I guess..." Rei said, "So Suzaku... what was he like when you first met him?"

"Well..." Nunnally pondered, "When he and big brother met, they weren't exactly... how should I put this? They... weren't exactly on good terms..."

"They weren't?" Rei asked.

"Yeah..." Nunnally said as she remembered what it was like.

* * *

_**8 Years Ago**_

**Dojo**

A young Suzaku judo throws a young Lelouch onto the floor.

"Come on! What was that?!" The young Suzaku asked.

"Why you—!" The young Lelouch exclaimed.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The boys were playing Shogi. Of course, Lelouch was beating Suzaku. He had him cornered.

"I think that's checkmate." Lelouch said.

Suzaku silently banged his fist on the table in frustration. He suddenly lunges at Lelouch and accused him of being a cheater as the two boys got into a fight.

Outside

Suzaku was sprinting after the birds that got out of the bird house. Lelouch on the other hand was so tired, he fell on the floor and laid down. Suzaku came back with the birds and kicked Lelouch before calling him pathetic.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Lelouch was choking Suzaku while Nunnally begged her brother to stop. Of course Lelouch was too angry at the moment for several reasons already.

* * *

_**Present Day**_

**Ashford Academy**

Nunnally sighed, "In the end, they became good friends."

Lelouch came in to see the trio having tea together.

"Oh! Hi big brother!" Nunnally said, "Would you like to join us?"

"No, I'm good." Lelouch said before sneaking a glance at Rei, "I was just hoping to talk to Rolo in private for a few minutes."

"I don't mind." Rei said.

"Eh?" Rolo asked.

"Come along now Rolo, we have plenty of things to talk about." Lelouch said.

* * *

Rolo followed Lelouch out of the room. Lelouch led Rolo to his room and the two entered.

"Now then Rolo," Lelouch said as he switched his Geass on.

He quickly turned to Rolo. Rolo saw the red symbol manifest in Lelouch's left eye and looked alarmed. His right eye suddenly glowed with red with the symbol appearing in the eye.

**"Could you answer a few questions?"** Lelouch asked.

The Geass sigil dashed out at Rolo's eye and the command it carried went straight into the brain. Red rings formed but were beginning to fade out as the Geass in Rolo's right eye begins to flicker like a lightbulb. Rolo's body shook as the lights flickered.

"No... can't... mustn't... talk... must... protect... brother..." Rolo said, "S-Stop... I... I..."

_'As I thought, it's possible someone can resist the power depending on the circumstances.'_ Lelouch thought, _'But in the end, you can't escape the inevitable.'_

The rings glowed and Rolo began to fall victim to the power itself. The Geass in his eye faded out.

"Now then, what are your true motives for being here?" Lelouch asked.

"I came here to find my brother." Rolo said without any emotion.

"And why do you believe Rei is your brother?" Lelouch asked.

"Because the Collective revealed the truth to me." Rolo said.

_'Collective?'_ Lelouch thought, "And they told you that you and Rei are related?"

"Yes." Rolo said, "Though we share not the same blood, we are bound to each other through the bonds that tie us together."

_'So that's it...'_ Lelouch thought, "You have Geass, who gave it to you?"

"VV." Rolo said.

"VV?" Lelouch asked.

"He gave me this power." Rolo said.

_'So that's it...'_ Lelouch thought, "What does it do?"

"It freezes people who are around me, however, upon activating it, my heart momentarily stops." Rolo said.

"It stops your heart?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes." Rolo said.

"Do you have anything for that?" Lelouch asked.

"A heartbeat monitor and several medicines for my heart." Rolo said.

_'I see...'_ Lelouch thought, "How far can your Geass go?"

"Just far enough to cover the whole school." Rolo said, "No wall or ceiling will hinder its ability to freeze anyone in range."

_'So it has a longer range...'_ Lelouch thought, "Any limits?"

"It can't stop objects or any sort of physical phenomenon." Rolo said, "Other than that, there is no other limit."

_'So it is a wide range type ability, but it stops his heart and it won't stop an object at all.'_ Lelouch thought, _'I could use someone like him. He seems trustworthy. I just need to get him to trust me.'_

He knew that as soon as he turns it off, Rolo will probably kill him. He switched the power of. The rings faded and Rolo regained his senses. His right eye glowed.

"Don't try it." Lelouch said.

CC pointed the gun at Rolo's head.

"I mean you no harm." Lelouch said.

"Then why do you have that power? Are you with them?" Rolo asked, "Are you here to kill my brother?"

"One question at a time my little friend." Lelouch said, "It's bad for your heart to ask too much."

"And why is that?" Rolo asked.

Lelouch pulled a medicine bottle out. Rolo's eyes widened.

"That's right, it's heart medicine for your heart." Lelouch said, "Without it, you might die."

"G-Give it back..." Rolo said.

"I'll give it back, but only if you calm down." Lelouch said.

The door opens and Rei came in.

"B—"

"It's ok Rolo, you can trust him." Rei said, "He wouldn't hurt me, trust me."

"Big brother..." Rolo said, "Ok then."

Rolo turns his Geass off. Lelouch hands him the medicine bottle.

"Is it ok if I..."

"Go ahead then." Lelouch said.

Rei took Rolo's hand the two boys went up to the roof to be alone for a while.

* * *

**Roof**

The boys were on the roof. The wind brushed against their hair.

"I'm sorry big brother, it's just that... I've been looking for you for a long time and I... I just didn't want to lose you." Rolo said, "I... I don't know if you remember, but—"

"You're not really him, are you?" Rei asked.

"B-Brother?" Rolo asked.

"You're not the same Rolo I know." Rei said, "You may look like him and even sound like him, but you're not him."

"B-Brother? What do you mean? I am me." Rolo said.

"Then how is it that when I saw you die, that you just came back to me like a ghost?" Rei asked.

Rolo's eyes widened, "Me? Dead?"

"That's right, you... you died in front of me. I don't know what happened before or in between, but I knew that you... you died trying to protect me from whoever it was that was after us." Rei said, "I... I lost so much already and nearly lost people that I cared about..."

Rolo noticed tears were coming from Rei.

"Big brother..." Rolo said.

"I... I... I already lost my parents... they died trying to protect me..." Rei said, "And then I... I lost who could have been you... then I almost lost a good friend of mine and I even almost lost someone that took me in..."

He turned to Rolo, "I just couldn't... I couldn't afford to lose you like I did my parents and the Rolo before you."

Rolo went over to his brother and gave him a nice hug.

"I just... I..." Rei said.

"It's ok brother... I'll be here." Rolo said.

The two boys sobbed and held one another.

* * *

**Elsewhere in the Tokyo Settlement**

A Chinese man was walking away from all the crowds. He had headphones on along with a visor connected to the headphones. Of course, he know they were after him. They were onto him and they wouldn't stop until he was dead. He needed to hide from them somehow.

In the shadows were a Britannian soldiers, however, these soldiers were wearing suits that were much different from the standard material. The helmets were much more advanced, they had added armor for protection, an arm guard on the right arm that could turn and be used as a melee weapon. They also have an assault rifle that was clearly more advanced than the ordinary standard issue assault rifle. The colors were also black and purple.

"Target sighted, do we move in?" A soldier asked.

"No. Keep an eye on the target. Move in once he's cornered." A female voice said, "Remember, we need him alive."

"Yes ma'am." The soldier said.


	27. Chapter 26: Pluton and the Cursed Arm

**Chapter 26: Pluton and the Cursed Arm**

Rei and Lalah were out in the park like usual. Rolo was coming along as well. The trio were simply enjoying the view. Rolo never knew anything about girls. What he does know is that these two are acting like they are more than just friends. He watched as the two went on and on about many things. It made him wonder what he was missing out on.

* * *

**Rose Knights HQ**

Rachel was looking at the newly arrived Sutherland Eye that had been handed down to the Rose Knights. It had its electronic equipment enhanced by combining both the factsphere in its head with a wide bandwidth to search for enemies and to improve its command capabilities. It had an extra Yggdrasil Drive reactor on it to act as a power source to the experimental VARIS. It was put in a spherical attachment on the left shoulder as the chest compartment was too small to house another Yggdrasil Drive. It also had a Schrötter steel knife on its left wrist.

It was handed down to her. She had joined the Rose Knights along with some others for a good reason of simply fighting for their country, nothing more and nothing less. She would have to get used to the advanced factsphere and hone her skills at piloting and logistics.

* * *

**Black Knights HQ**

"Say **WHAT**?!" Naoto exclaimed.

"Don't scream your head off Naoto, it'll only be a few days." Kallen said, "Kyoto just needs it so they can make a mass-produced version of it."

"But I've only piloted that blue cyclops just once!" Naoto said.

"Don't you think you're overreacting on this?" Izumi asked.

"Yeah, you need to chill out." Takamura said.

"How am I supposed to chill out when something major is being planned?!" Naoto asked, "And where the hell is Ohgi?!"

"Oh yeah, the afro dude whose name I almost forgot about." Takamura said.

"How can you forget his name?!" Naoto exclaimed.

"Calm down..." Kallen said, "You're acting like it's a crisis."

"That's because it **IS** a crisis!" Naoto exclaimed.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Ohgi looked to the lady that he put in his bed. He managed to treat the bullet wound she took and got her to some place safe. He wasn't sure if this was either the best or the worst decision he was making, mostly on the part that she's Britannian. He had no idea what he was thinking, bringing her to his place in the Ghetto of all places. At least this was a better option than anywhere else. There was one thing that got his attention to him. Whether it was by chance or not, she sounded like she knew Zero. But there was no telling if she actually knows who Zero is, so for all he knew, it was a wild goose chase that got him nothing but a girl in his bed.

* * *

**In a library, Tokyo Settlement**

_'Damn them... damn them!'_ Mao thought as he tried to stay focus.

There were too many voices in his head. He had to block them out. He needed her voice. It was the only thing that could make all the other voices drown out and allow him to focus. He pressed the button on his headphones.

_"I'm here Mao."_

_"It's ok Mao."_

_"You're safe with me Mao."_

_"You can do it Mao."_

As that particularly sweet voice played in his ears, the other voices were becoming more and more insignificant. He was beginning to feel calm and safe again. Little did he forget that he was being followed.

_'There's no use hiding.'_

He gasped silently. He was beginning to panic.

_'No matter where you run, you will be followed.'_

He quickly tried to think of a place to hide in.

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

Rei knew taking Rolo to the Ghettos was a bad idea, but he thought it would be worth the risk so that Rolo would get a better understanding of the world as it is now. So far, the learning experience was educating Rolo in some aspects. It's been awhile since he walked into the Ghettos.

He caught a glimpse of a silver haired Chinese man looking very paranoid. He was wearing headphones and some visor covering his eyes. He couldn't help but feel distress coming from that man, almost like he was afraid of something or someone. What immediately caught his eye were red wings of light coming from the back of the man.

_'Those wings...'_ Rei thought, _'Could that be a sign of—?'_

The man quickly bolted. Rei felt compelled to follow. Rolo followed Rei as he went after the Chinese man. The boys followed the man. They kept following him until he went inside an abandoned building. The boys decided to go into the building to investigate.

"Target has entered the building. We have two variables in the way." A soldier reported, "Should we eliminate?"

"No... keep them alive... for now." A female voice said, "We'll cordon the area and corner him."

"Yes, my lord." The soldier said.

* * *

**Abandoned Building**

The boys traveled inside the building. It was a husk of what it was before the war happened.

"Brother, we shouldn't be here. We should go back to the Settlement." Rolo said.

"Even so, there's something about him." Rei said, "I swore I saw wings out of his back for some reason."

The boys searched the building. The boys kept searching and searching, finding nothing around them. They went up a floor and checked there. They kept their eyes peeled for the man. They found nothing on this floor. They went up to the next floor and started looking there. Rei kept looking until he heard a female voice. It kept repeating the word 'Mao' over and over. He followed the voice to see the Chinese man looking very paranoid and didn't hesitate to shoot Rei. Rei managed to avoid having a bullet bust through his skull and destroyed the brain. Instead it grazed him. The wound quickly sealed itself as his cells regenerated quickly.

"Stay back! One more step and I'll—!"

"Wait! Hold on a second! I'm not here to hurt you, I—!"

"Does it look like I care what your intentions are?" The Chinese man said.

Rolo overheard what was going on and came over to where Rei is. The next thing Rei saw was Rolo suddenly vanishing and reappearing behind the Chinese man. The gun was already out of the hands of the Chinese man. The Chinese man quickly turned around, only for Rolo to be gone again. Rei noticed that Rolo was next to him.

_'How did he—?'_

"Oh... I get it now... you two have that power..." the man said, "One of you can actually 'freeze' people while the other can bend space... interesting."

The man turned. He smiled as he clapped his hands together.

"My my, you two are really interesting indeed." the man said.

He looked to Rei, "You've got amnesia..."

He looked to Rolo, "... and you are just a clone of someone who died."

The two boys looked surprised. Rei wondered just how—

"How I know all of this? Come on, if you were a betting man, how would I be able to know every single thought you're having?" The Chinese man asked.

Rei gave it thought. A conclusion quickly came to mind.

_'Geass?'_ Rei thought.

"Congratulations, you got it right, but you're gonna have to dig much more deeper than that." The man said.

"Mind reading?" Rolo asked.

"Exactly!" The man said, "Not most people guess that one correctly."

"Who are you?" Rolo asked.

"Why I am just a man who is just looking for someone." The man said, "I mean, everyone is always looking for something, right?"

Cracks of electricity were heard. Suddenly, soldiers just appeared out of nowhere. They were wearing much tougher armor. The color schemes didn't match up with the military's usual color scheme.

"Alpha to command, we have the target along with two interlopers." The soldier said, "What do we do with them?"

"Damnit! How in the hell can I not hear their thoughts?! How?!" The man exclaimed.

Rolo's Geass activated. A red dome covered everyone in the room. All who were in the dome stopped moving. Rolo took out his knife and went over to the closest soldier and stabbed said soldier in the back. He shot a few bullets into another soldier's head before one bullet went through. He slashed another's soldier's throat and took the soldier's rifle and shot at another soldier. The Geass's effect suddenly wears off and the soldiers collapsed from the injuries they were inflicted with. Rei was quickly confused. He suddenly saw Rolo holding a rifle with a bloody knife. Rolo wipes the blood of the knife and puts it away.

"Hurry, before more come." Rolo said.

He handed Rei a rifle.

"Hey! Where's mine?" The man asked.

"You're not trustworthy on that matter." Rolo said.

The man shrugged, "OK, fair enough."

"We got to leave. This place is too dangerous." Rolo said.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock." The man said, "They already got this place covered... and they are good at hiding their thoughts from me... makes me wonder if they are there..."

The trio began to move. Rolo And Rei scanned the halls. There was nothing there.

"How are we supposed to take them if we can't see them?" Rei asked.

Rolo began to think. An idea came off. Mao handed the boys smoke grenades.

"Oh Yeah... mind reading." Rei said.

They left the room and Rei took the pin off the smoke grenade and threw it. The smoke blasted out of the grenade. Within the smoke we're invisible soldiers. The boys fired at the soldiers. The soldiers retreated back before one of them got a bullet to the throat. The soldiers continued to back off without the other soldier.

"Is there a fire escape we can use?" Rei asked.

"Oh yeah sure, a fire escape, like those will do us any good." Mao said.

"I'm serious!" Rei said.

"I know you are." Mao said, "Only way is forward I suppose."

Rei switched his Geass on and his free hand was glowing. He threw a punch and a red beam shot out. The soldiers were hit with the force of a truck and were knocked into a wall.

"Well what do you know, we can get out of here if you use that." Mao said.

An idea popped off in Rei's head and punched the ground and the invisible force hits the floor, making it break apart. The trio fall down a few floors before reaching the bottom.

"Not like that!" Mao said, "Are you trying to kill us all?!"

"But didn't you say—"

"I meant on **THEM** you brown headed dolt!" Mao said.

"We're alive at the very least." Rei said.

Two gunshots rang out. The trio dodged the bullets coming at them. In front of them was a tall woman with long black hair and in a military uniform holding a twin barrel shotgun. The woman opens the gun, ejects the casings and stuffed two bullets in before closing it.

"This is as far as you go, rats." The woman said.

Soldiers came in and surrounded them.

"Well that's just great." Mao said, "Now just how are we going to get out of this one?"

Rei activates his Geass again. The woman looked intrigued.

"Ah... I see... Number 000." The woman said, "So this is what you've been up to."

'Number 000?' Rei thought.

"And you must be R0-10-02." The woman said, "Two traitors of the Order with a Chinese rat."

"So there IS a club!" Mao said.

"Not. Now." Rolo said.

"This is the end of the line for you three. That I know for sure." The woman said, "Apprehend Number 000 and R0-10-02. The Chinese rat is mine."

"Yes, my lord." The soldiers said as their arm guards bent over.

The soldiers began to approach. Rei suddenly felt an alarmingly dangerous presence coming forth. A purple mist suddenly entered the room. Rei wasn't sure what this mist was. A figure wearing a hannya mask and a strangely grotesque metal arm walked into the room. His clothes were ragged.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

"A man with a 'demon arm?'" Rivalz said?

"Yup. My father would always tell me about that man. Apparently, he tried making a pact with someone who promised to hand him 'the power to have what you desire most' and it got him a demonic arm." Suzaku said.

"Well that sounds... pretty messed up and kinda cool at the same time." Rivalz said.

"Well it's not cool." Suzaku said, "From what my father told me, the man had an arm that could drain the life out of a person until there is nothing left."

"Yikes." Rivalz said.

"He even took an army on all by himself." Suzaku said.

"No way..." Rivalz said, "And what happened next?"

"They all died." Suzaku said.

"**WHAT**?!" Rivalz asked.

"That man killed every single person who was after him, maybe even did worse than anything thought possible." Suzaku said, "If someone like him existed, there would be problems."

* * *

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

The soldier's armor was all that was left of the soldier. The boys looked terrified at what they had seen.

"DID HE JUST **DRINK** THAT GUY?!" Mao exclaimed.

"I wasn't prepared for today." Rolo said.

"Neither of us were." Rei said.

"A Curse! Back! Get back! He's dangerous!" The woman ordered.

The soldiers kept their distance and fired at the man. The man rushed at the soldier and stabbed the soldier with the metal arm. The soldier's body began to turn wrinkly before the soldier's entire being all but vanished. The arm had an eye that had the symbol of Geass in it.

"Forget about the Chinese rodent! We have a cursed individual here! Kill him!" The woman said.

The man with the cursed arm rushed at the woman. Geass envelopes in her right eye. She dodged the arm and shot it. The arm was hit with a bullet. It was disabled. The woman aimed at the head.

"It's over." The woman said, "I know that without that arm, you're nothing." The woman said.

Rei activated his Geass and threw a punch, shooting a red blast of energy smashing into the woman and knocking her into a wall.

"WHAT IN BLUE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING?!" Mao asked.

Rei sprints off. Rolo and Mao followed Rei. The man ignored them. He rushed after the soldiers and went to kill every single one of them.

* * *

_**Later...**_

**Underground tunnels**

The trio made it to the underground tunnels. They were safe there at the moment.

"You know, I didn't exactly ask for your help, but you chose to help me." Mao said, "And I guess it has to do with her."

"Her?" Rei asked, "Wait, you know who that voice was?"

"Green hair, yellow eyes, pretty sure she can't be that hard to recognize." Mao said.

He looked surprised. He was referring to CC. But how does he know her?

"It's best you don't think about it." Mao said, "You did me a solid favor, so expect me to repay it in full."

"Wait, where are you—"

"Gonna hunker down for a few weeks, wait till they leave, and then go back to finding her and having that nice reunion." Mao said, "Later."

He left the two boys. The boys ditched the guns and made their way back to the academy.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The man with the mask was down. The woman stood over him.

"What do we do?" A soldier asked.

"We can't go after the rat like this. We'll have to leave." The woman said, "We can't exactly do anything about him either... leave him."

The woman and the surviving soldiers left. The man suddenly got up. His mask falls to reveal a face with brown eyes and brown hair and a mark of Geass on the forehead.


	28. Chapter 27: Changing Tides

**Chapter 27: Changing Tides**

"No." Lelouch said.

"But why?! At this point we're already wanted criminals!" Shirley said, "I mean Nina literally just—"

"I was there." Lelouch said.

"Then you kinda know the severity we're in." Shirley said.

"And I know that if I try putting you in the Black Knights—"

"Odds are we're gonna be in a dumpster by nightfall." Nina said.

"Exactly my point." Lelouch said, "And yet you insist."

"Well Rei's in the Black Knights, right?" Shirley asked.

"That's because he was caught up in the Shinjuku incident and well... I guess joining was his choice and there wasn't any talking him out of it." Lelouch said, "That and he's stubborn as hell. With you, it's not the same."

"In what regard?" Shirley asked.

"To be honest, in some regards I practically already considered to be kind of a problem." Lelouch said before turning to Nina, "Also, I'm pretty sure you—"

"Nope." Nina said.

"What?" Lelouch asked.

"That fear kinda left me already." Nina said, "You can thank Rei for that, I guess..."

Lelouch sighed, _'Of course, I should have known...'_

"More importantly..." Shirley said before she pointed to CC as she was eating a pizza, "Who is she and what is she doing here?!"

"She's merely an accomplice." Lelouch said.

"She's in a straight jacket! That means criminal! Why do you have a criminal living with you?!" Shirley asked.

"It's not like it was my choice to make, she just follows me wherever I go." Lelouch said.

"That is true." CC said.

"You stay out of this." Shirley said.

"Speaking of Rei, how is he?" Nina asked.

"He's fine." Lelouch said, "As his mentor I'm teaching him all that I know. But sometimes, a few more mentors are needed."

"A few more mentors?" Nina asked.

"Yes. Say, for instance, Todoh the Miracle Worker." Lelouch said.

* * *

**Black Knights Tanker**

Rei was having trouble keeping up with Todoh the Miracle Worker. Even if they were just using Burai's for sparring, he saw now why Todoh was leader of the Four Holy Swords. Even with all of his Overman abilities, some in which he hasn't fully developed, Todoh was an even match for him. Guess it had to be all the experience Todoh had in battle. He did fight in the war 7 years ago. Nonetheless, he couldn't land a hit on him. He didn't even feel any pressure from Todoh, but instead was the presence of a mighty warrior.

"Your skills are definitely close to my level and you seem like a natural in a Knightmare Frame." Todoh said, "But they are not enough!"

The two clashed again.

"Your reflexes are fast and you have some intuition, but you lack the proper foresight to stay ahead of a very experienced opponent such as myself!" Todoh said.

The two Burai backed away from each other. They clashed again and again. The two backed off. Todoh swung around Rei. He was coming in for an attack.

_'Left!'_ Rei thought.

He turned left, only for the Burai to suddenly vanish from view.

"Relying in those abilities will not benefit you against a Knight of the Round." Todoh said.

He quickly turned around, but his Burai got knocked in the head and fell over.

"Your instincts and reflexes are good, but against an opponent who knows how you fight? They won't do you any good." Todoh said.

_'So he knows how my Overman abilities work...'_ Rei thought.

"Understand how your opponent fights, assess their weaknesses, assess their strengths, assess your advantages and disadvantages, and then think of a way to use that knowledge against them." Todoh said, "The only reason the Lancelot couldn't beat you at Narita was because you understood how he fought and he didn't know how you fought. Remember, knowledge is the most effective weapon when you're fighting any foe."

_'Knowledge huh?'_ Rei thought, _'In that case...'_

* * *

**Government Bureau, Tokyo Settlement**

Cornelia and Euphemia were in the Viceroy's Office.

"Sub-Viceroy, it's imperative that we have a knight assigned to you. That I cannot stress enough." Cornelia said, "With all the damage the Black Knights have wrought on this colony, it is only natural that you'd be naturally entitled to have a Knight."

She handed out a binder containing a list of names of suitable applicants whom were of noble birth.

"They come from prestigious families and have great skills in combat." Cornelia said, "I think you already know why I cannot stress enough of this subject."

"It's because of the impact the Black Knights are having throughout the Empire, isn't it?" Euphemia asked.

"Yes, the Black Knights have destabilized the peace and prosperity of this colony to an extent that the Emperor is beginning to doubt my ability to quell this rebellion." Cornelia said, "Zero and his successor are still out there, and as long as they live, the Black Knights will live on, even if we capture or kill Zero."

"So you want his successor captured as well?" Euphemia asked.

"Yes, and as soon as he has been captured, he will answer for the deaths of my Royal Guardsmen and for the deaths of not only those he killed, but also for Darlton's death." Cornelia said.

"Even if he were just a boy?" Euphemia asked.

Cornelia was silent.

"Who told you?" Cornelia asked.

"Lady Nonette told me." Euphemia said, "Sister please, he's just a boy. If I can convince him to leave the Black Knights—"

"Forget it, that boy has already made up his mind the moment he tried to kill me." Cornelia said, "Do you really think that he can be negotiated with?"

"Please sister, he can be reasoned with! There's no need to punish him—"

Cornelia glared at her sister. Her eyes pierced into Euphemia's soul. She felt the core of her being shake from her sister's glaring eyes.

"If you think that because he's just a child that he shouldn't be punished harshly, you better rethink that." Cornelia said, "I don't care if I have to break that child with my bare hands. I will make him pay severely for what he's done just as I will do the same to Zero."

"Sister..." Euphemia said, "I see then..."

She left the room. Cornelia no longer seemed tense.

_'I'm sorry Euphie... I...'_

* * *

**Euphemia's Room**

Euphemia went to her room. She thought about the boy for some time. She wished she never asked Nonette, she wished she never put the pieces together. She now feared that the boy she met in Shinjuku was the White Jack who was responsible for almost everything. It was only a suspicion, but one she wished she never thought about.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

**Shinjuku Ghetto**

"Do you... do you have a family here?" Euphemia asked.

The boy had tears running down his face.

"No... they're dead." The little boy said.

She looked shocked to hear it. She felt her heart sting.

"Oh... oh you poor boy..." Euphemia said.

The boy hugged her and she hugged him as well.

* * *

**Lake Kawaguchi Hotel**

"7 years ago? No! You don't mean—!"

"Yes... 7 years ago, his parents perished during the war." Zero said, "They died long before Shinjuku happened."

"So he's been alone all his life..." Euphemia said.

"Yes, but then he escaped and was found by the Red Moon." Zero said, "An SIS team was after his parents because his father was willing to bargain with the Chinese Federation to have his research given over to the Chinese Federation for his family's protection. But by then, it was too late."

"Oh my god..." Euphemia said.

"Yes, it was horrible, the things they did to his parents." Zero said, "He didn't deserve to lose them."

"So when he was caught up in Shinjuku, did he—"

"No." Zero said, "He chose to fight."

Euphemia looked shocked, "But why?!"

"Because the Red Moon became his new family." Zero said.

Euphemia gasped.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

**Euphie's Room**

_'Why? Why did things have to be like this? Why?'_ Euphemia thought, _'That poor boy... why him? Why did he have to get involved with the Black Knights?'_

She felt her heart ache. She sobbed as tears flowed from her eyes.

_'Why? Why did all of this happen? Why did he have to suffer? Why must he be forced to stain his hands in blood?'_ Euphemia thought, _'If only I could save him from this horrible world...'_

* * *

**Military Airport**

If today couldn't get any worse for her, Luciano Bradley, the Knight of Ten, the Vampire of Britannia of all people had to come by on the Emperor's orders to help 'clean' up the mess that Cornelia has already failed to handle correctly.

"So I heard this White Jack guy killed one of Cornelia's shining knights, correct?" Luciano asked.

"Yes, he did in fact kill him." Nonette said, "Why bring it up?"

"From what I heard and what I make of him, he's just a little boy who thinks he's playing hero." Luciano said, "He doesn't even know the prime truth of the battlefield. What a shame."

"Look, I didn't come here to here your speech." Nonette said.

"Oh... of course you didn't." Luciano said, "Well in any case, I'm just here to hunt the little rascal down. So where is he?"

"You can find him wherever the Black Knights show up." Nonette said.

"Of course... that'd be your answer." Luciano said, "While we're at it, I was hoping to inspect a military base."

"An inspection? If that's what you want I can arrange one now." Nonette said.

"Good..." Luciano said.

* * *

**Durandal's Mansion**

"The Knight of Ten you say?" Durandal asked.

"Yes sir, it's him." Schnee said, "The Emperor could have sent him to go after the Jack, should we eliminate him?"

"No no... there's no need for that." Durandal said.

"But sir, this is the Vampire of Britannia. If he is on the Emperor's orders to—"

"Even if that were the case, knowing Lalah, she'd bet her chips on the Jack as usual." Durandal said.

"I'm sorry, is there a point I'm missing or—"

"Schnee, it's obvious why Lalah would do that." Durandal said, "It's because she sense him changing."

"Changing?" Schnee asked.

"Yes... almost like he's evolving constantly." Durandal said, "In his earlier battles, his fighting abilities were a match for Suzaku, and he was only just a rookie pilot with little experience of piloting a Knightmare Frame, and he was using the Lancelot."

"But he read the manual when—"

"No manual or simulator will ever help you in fighting against an Overman." Durandal said, "Suzaku's Overman abilities had barely even been tapped at that time."

"I see... continue." Schnee said.

"An Overman is very more like a living being that has accelerated evolution." Durandal said, "The way Overmen continue to improve is much like how humans have evolved: by improvising and improving, trial and error, theory and experimentation. That is how humanity evolved to this day and age, and so have Overmen."

"And how is that proven?" Schnee asked.

"Why the Jack continues to improve way ahead of everyone else." Durandal said, "At some point, Overmen will reach... a singularity."

"A singularity?" Schnee asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Simply put, Overmen will soon hold the key to humanity's future." Durandal said, "Once Overmen have reached the apex of their abilities, whatever or whenever that is, humanity's destiny will be in the hands of Overmen."

"But even Overmen must have limits, right?" Schnee asked.

"Ah... good question. However, the answer is left ambiguous." Durandal said, "Who knows what the limits of an Overman are? We may never find that answer or maybe we have already overlooked it."

* * *

**Black Knights Tanker**

After several bouts, Rei was beginning to see what Todoh was driving at. Through several strategies, trials and errors, he was beginning to find a pattern. He was keeping up with Todoh. However, throughout the whole thing, Rei was beginning to notice something was wrong. He was good at piloting a Knightmare Frame even before he even knew what it was. Ever since Shinjuku, his movement's have been getting better and now he's getting the hang of piloting the Byakuen. The Knightmare kept up with his movements and moved fluidly with his movements. But now he can tell that it was lagging behind him. It was as if the Knightmare was no longer capable of matching his pace.

He landed an uppercut at the Burai. Todoh managed to recover from the hit, Rei rushed towards him. Todoh quickly vanished. Rei spun the Burai, but one of the sticks got stiff and he was spinning out. The Burai smacked Todoh's Burai and knocked it onto the floor. He got the Burai to stop. He got out of the Burai as did Todoh.

"Well, I must say, you're getting better than I thought." Todoh said, "Yet you spun out at the last second, what happened there?"

"Well... I'm not sure how to explain it, but I'm starting to think that maybe it has something to do with me and the Knightmare being in sync." Rei said, "It's beginning to lag behind my movements and I think I might have pushed it too far."

"What?" Todoh asked, "It's lagging behind your movements?"

"I'll have the mechanics check the Burai." Rei said, "Maybe it's just me..."

Todoh thought about it.

"Should I tell Zero?" Todoh asked.

"No, I'll tell him myself." Rei said.

* * *

**Ashford Academy**

Lelouch was on the phone with Rei.

"I see... so that's it..." Lelouch said, "In any case, our guests from India will be arriving shortly."

"And Shirley and Nina?" Rei asked.

"They're fine." Lelouch said, "What about your brother?"

"He's doing fine. He's fitting in nicely." Rei said.

"Good... just be ready for when our guests arrive." Lelouch said.

"Right." Rei said.

He hung up.

"So?" Shirley asked.

"It would seem Rei's abilities are beginning to turn into a double edged sword." Lelouch said.

"What do you mean?" Nina asked.

"Overmen have extraordinary abilities that surpass all other human beings. But of course, the whole concept itself hasn't been 100% grounded." Lelouch said, "There is still much research that has to be done to fully understand the Overman phenomenon. It's like encountering something entirely new, something we have no knowledge of."

"But what about the double edged sword bit?" Shirley asked.

"Well... Rei told me that while he was sparring off with Todoh, his Knightmare was lagging behind him." Lelouch said, "But it could be that his abilities have overwhelmed it. This could become a problem for the Byakuen."

"Wait... what?" Shirley asked.

"The Knightmare with the beetle horn." Lelouch said.

"Oh... so that's what it's called..." Shirley said.

"It's specs are far superior to the Lancelot thanks to the parts Kyoto had made for its construction." Lelouch said.

He brought up the Byakuen's schematics.

"Unlike any Britannian-made Knightmare, the Byakuen uses parts based off the Guren Mk1, the Guren Mk2's predecessor." Lelouch said, "These parts surpass Britannian-made parts used for Knightmares like the Sutherland and Gloucester and the technology is on par with the Lancelot's and other 7th Generation Knightmare Frames. However, in the Byakuen's case, not only is there Sakuradite in the Yggdrasil Drive, but also spread throughout the body, increasing its output to a point where no ordinary human could be able to use its maximum potential."

"So that's why you put Rei in it." Nina said.

"Huh?" Shirley asked.

"You see, an ordinary human wouldn't be able to draw out the Byakuen's true potential, so it would require someone who could truly use the Byakuen at its highest potential and stay in control of it." Nina said, "Since Rei's an Overman, he can control the Byakuen because his reflexes and stamina can keep up with the Byakuen's output."

"I... What were we just talking about?" Shirley asked, "Also, what's an Overman? I keep hearing that a lot and well... I—"

"Think of it like this, a person with supernatural abilities." Lelouch said, "Increased reflexes, better cognitive thinking, advanced problem solving beyond human levels of comprehension, you know, kinda like me except better."

"And does more exercise often." CC said.

Lelouch glared at CC.

"Did I hurt your feelings?" CC asked.

"Do I have to bar you from pizza for a week?" Lelouch asked.

CC glared at Lelouch. She looked away from him.

"Exactly." Lelouch said, "Now back to where we were, yes, that's kind of the reason I had Rei be its pilot. Not only does he know how to pilot it, albeit he never saw a Knightmare for the first time before, but his reflexes along with quick thinking and stamina is why I gave it to him. He has much better chances at pushing it to its maximum potential while being able to control it."

"So how does all of that factor in?" Shirley asked.

"Simply put, if his abilities could overwhelm a Burai, then the Byakuen could be overwhelmed by Rei's Overman abilities, even with the sakuradite all over the body." Lelouch said, "It's powerful alright, but it all comes down to the human element, the independent variable that ultimately changes the dependent variable that is the Knightmare's performance."

"But if Overman are like humans, shouldn't they have a limit?" Nina asked.

Lelouch thought about the question. It was an interesting question. He never thought about it before, but now that he thought of it, maybe there is a limit to what Overmen can do. But that answer hasn't been found unless it was already in front of him and he didn't see it for the first time.

* * *

_**At Noon**_

**Brig Area, Britannian Military Base**

Luciano was running an inspection of the base. So far, the soldiers don't seem to be incompetent cowards, at least not while he wasn't around to look at them. He wasn't very much interested in anything else but the brig. Apparently, a man snuck in and killed 3 men before he was caught. They tried killing him, but nothing seemed to have worked. Guns, flamethrowers, and explosives seemingly did nothing to kill him. It's as if he was incapable of dying, almost like he was 'in between' living and dead while being mostly alive. What brought Luciano's attention was that the man had a grotesque metal arm that somehow turned one of his men into a lifeless husk and another into a huge blood and gore splattered mess. He was locked in solitary confinement. He was standing right outside the man's cell. The man pinned against a wall as to avoid him using his metal arm.

He couldn't careless if he were a spy or not, he was one hell of a killer if Luciano saw any. He enjoys killing people as much as he enjoys causing endless destruction. It was no wonder why Carine ne Britannia originally made him her knight before he ended up in the Knights of the Round. For him, the battlefield was just an excuse to simply kill people without being apprehended and reprimanded. He was originally put in the military's penal units as punishment for his crimes until he was pardoned by the military by his services. He's a master of knives, throwing them with neat precision and accuracy. Most importantly, to him, the only thing a person values the most is their own life. It doesn't matter if it's a friend or an enemy, he kills for the sake of killing, destroys for the sake of destruction, both in which make him excited.

* * *

**Pendragon, Britannian Homeland**

"I don't get it, what's this talk about the White Jack?" A blonde haired man of age 16 asked.

"The White Jack's a formidable foe." A dark skinned female with braided black hair said, "From what I heard from Nonette, he killed Andreas Darlton by himself."

"Who?" The blonde asked.

"One of Cornelia's Knights." A pink haired girl said, "The Unstoppable Shield he was called back in his hay day."

"Truly a stronger warrior than you." A girl of 18 years of age with long straight blonde hair with two pigtails at the front.

"Hey. What's that supposed to mean?" The blonde asked.

"He means unlike you fly boy, he doesn't mess around in combat and could gut you like a fish in a barrel." The dark skinned woman said.

"Now why do you ladies have to be this harsh with me?" The blonde complained.

"That's enough, Gino." An old voice said.

"S-Sorry Sir Waldstein... I didn't mean to—"

"We Knights of the Round can't afford to make a mistake with some child." The voice said.

A man came out of the shadows. It was none other than Bismarck Waldstein, the one and only Knight of One. The strongest Knight in Britannia. As such, he is the commander of the Knights of the Round who also work under the direct command of the Emperor assigned into the group by royalty.

"That child has done as much damage as Zero has." Bismarck said, "The death of Andreas Darlton, him slaughtering Cornelia's Royal Guard, and what's worse is that there are rumors of him being of Zilkhstani heritage."

"Zilkhstani?! You mean he's a Zilk?!" Gino exclaimed, "If you knew that, why'd you let Lucy go to Area 11 then?!"

"What's this? The Knight of Three is worried about someone whom he outranks?" The dark skinned woman asked.

"Look, I know the guy's a maniac, a loose cannon with lots of screws loose, but if what you're saying is true, he might—!"

"Gino." Bismarck said, "I wouldn't have sent Luciano to needlessly die if I wanted him gone. Zilkhstani or not, that boy was only lucky he got a chance to scuffle with Nonette and live to tell anyone his exploits. Luciano on the other hand..."

"... would tear the Jack up to ribbons." The pink haired girl said.

"A good guess Anya." The tall blonde girl said.

"Luciano is a berserker. No one can tell what he'll do next." The dark skinned woman said, "Let's just hope he doesn't get too cocky and gets himself killed."

"You say that like he might." Bismarck said, "Do you doubt his majesty's judgement, Dorothea?"

"No, just saying that if anything, if he does kill Luciano, then it might take more than one of us to take him down." Dorothea said.

"I see..." Bismarck said, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Speaking of Nonette, how is she?" The tall blonde asked.

"At the moment, peachy." Bismarck said, "She's just worried about Cornelia."

"Is it about what happened in the Narita fiasco?" Dorothea asked.

"Yes. She hasn't been herself lately." Bismarck said, "All the more reason that boy should be taken care of."

"But what about us? Seeing as Michele isn't with us anymore, that only leaves just the seven of us." Gino said, "We'd have to fill in all the other five seats or there won't be a Knights of the Round left."

"Huh... That is something we might want get dealt with quickly." Dorothea said.

"That is vexing to say the least." The tall blonde said.

"Too vexing." Anya said, "So when can we expect some more Knights joining us?"

"I doubt that will ever come." Bismarck said, "Monica."

"Yes?" Monica asked.

"What of his majesty, the Emperor?" Bismarck asked, "What does he think of the boy?"

"The Emperor? Well... from what he told me, it would be better if he were captured than killed." Monica said.

"I see..." Bismarck said, _'What does his majesty intend to do with the boy?'_

* * *

**_Later..._**

**Black Knights Mobile HQ**

Zero was outside to see Rakshata Chawla along with Neha Shankar, Rakshata's research team, and Ganabati.

"So you're the one called Rakshata Chawla?" Zero asked.

"Yes." Rakshata said, "I hope that the Guren is doing fine, yes?"

"Indeed it is." Zero said, "Are they here?"

"Yes, the Gekka are in the back." Ganabati said, "We've also brought in some Guren Mk1s for you to use."

"Gurens?" Zero asked.

"They're not as flashy as the Byakuen or the Guren, but at least they do better than some Gloucester." Ganabati said, "I tuned the hydraulics, checked the energy fillers, all that mechanical jargon you're not interested in, I did all of that."

"And speaking of which, the Byakuen?" Neha asked.

"It's in good condition." Zero said.

"Oh thank Buddha..." Neha said.

"And the Pre-Gekka?" Zero asked.

"In the back." Ganabati said.

"Good." Zero said, "I'll go inform the others."

He went inside.

"Well the Indians are here along with the Gekkas." Zero said.

"And my Pre-Gekka?" Naoto asked.

"It's in the back." Zero said.

"Hallelujah!" Naoto exclaimed.

"I see..." Todoh said, "So what is our next move exactly?"

"Simple, raid a Britannian base and rob it of its supplies." Zero said, "With all the fire power and man power we have, we should be able to loot the base of its supplies. Thanks to Diethard's handy work, we know the lay out of the base we'll be striking."

"A raid?" Katase asked.

"Yes. Though we already have lots of resources from Narita, it will be a show of strength against Britannia." Zero said, "We managed to win in Narita because we knew the territory well and used that knowledge to our advantage, but this time, we're on their turf. They'll know every part of the base inside out. However, the Britannians have disadvantages of their own already."

"Oh yeah, we have the Gekkas." Naoto said, "Too bad they haven't made a mass production model for the Lancelot."

"And it should probably stay that way." Inoue said.

"Yeah, for the best." Ohgi said, "That thing is one hell of a beast. With all that technology on the Lancelot with all the energy shields, that blue gun and the red swords that can cut through metal, if they start mass producing the Lancelot or even put its technology on other Knightmare Frames, we'll be in trouble."

* * *

**ASEEC Hangar**

"But wouldn't the same apply to us?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, unfortunately." Lloyd said, "During that time on Narita when you picked a fight with Rakshata's red toy, you already lost an MVS and the Jack blew up the G-1 with the same weapon used to cause the landslide and destroy the MVS."

"And then we have the Gefjun disturber to worry about." Cecile said, "If they start mass producing either of those, be it that red, white, or blue Knightmare Frame or any of their weapons for that matter, no matter what Britannia makes, it would no longer matter if the enemy has us beat in technology."

"And all they got are refurbished Glasgows and three 7th Gen Knightmare Frames with one of them being piloted by an Overman." Rai said, "Then we got Zero who's also an Overman as well..."

"At this rate, the Chinese Federation may as well be bearing down on us and make up some excuse to take Area 11 by surprise and give Britannia a slap to the face." Ledo said, "The Viceroy's been awfully cold to pretty much everyone here."

"Well, Andreas Darlton was a friend of hers aside from being her Knight..." Schnee said, "That and her military career has taken terrible blows ever since the Saitama Ambush Operation ended badly."

Suzaku tightens his fist in frustration.

_'Zero and his pupil... isn't there something that can be done about them?'_ Suzaku thought.

* * *

**Government Bureau**

David was sparring with Guilford. His brothers watched as they went at it. They clashed with one another as they fought hard. Their Knightmares backed away from each other. David was breathing heavily.

"What's wrong David, you're getting tired already?" Guilford asked, "Eyes forward, chin up, and hold your weapon properly!"

"Yes sir..." David said as he gripped the sticks tightly.

The two readied their lances and charged at each other. The brothers watched as David and Guilford sparred.

"David's really into it..." Bart said.

"Yes, he's really at it right now." Alfred said.

"He's our brother, after all." Edgar said.

"It's only natural after all that's happened after Narita." Claudio said, "Besides... out of all us... he respected our father the most."

"Don't we all?" Edgar asked.

"Yes... but David's bond with father was more than what we had." Claudio said.

That is very true indeed. David has always had high respect for Andreas Darlton. For their father, David reminded their father of his younger days. For David, his father was the one he looked up to and idolized the most when it came to being a knight. For David, being a knight meant having chivalry of the highest caliber and having the skill and personality to back it up. Anything less was just a joke. Even with his passing, David respected his father more than anyone else should. His father had given him meaning in life, a meaning he would hold on in his heart. The bond between David and his father was more empathetic than anything they could ever have.

David's Gloucester fell on the floor with its lance out of its hands.

"It seems I win." Guilford said.

"Damn..." David said as he got back up.

He went to pick up his lance.

"Alright Alfred, you're next." Guilford said.

"Wish me luck." Alfred said.

* * *

**Black Knights Trailer**

Rei came in to see the Zero with Rakshata and the others. He walked over to them.

"Sorry I was late, I was just—"

"Oh? Is he the one?" Rakshata asked.

"Yes, He's the pilot of the Byakuen." Zero said before turning to Rei, "Rei, this is Rakshata Chawla, She's the one who designed the Guren Mk2, Byakuen, and the Gekka."

"Huh? You mean—?" Rei asked, "You made Kallen Oneechan's Guren?"

"Why of course, I did design it after it all." Rakshata said, "You look shorter than I thought."

"Careful with the parts. They're not exactly cheap to manufacture and afford." Ganabati said.

"Who's that?" Rei asked.

"That's Ganabati, He's a really nice guy once you get to know him. He's also one hell of a mechanic." Rakshata said, "And that girl over there is my assistant, Neha. She's the one who developed the Byakuen along with me."

"Neha?" Rei asked.

Neha was examining the Byakuen's Gefjun Breaker.

_'Just as I thought, even the Byakuen doesn't have the proper shielding to withstand the Gefjun Breaker's activation effects...'_ Neha thought.

"Are you the one who designed the Byakuen?" Rei asked.

"Gah!" Neha yelped before she lost her footing.

Rei was quick to catch her. She looked at him as he looked at her.

"Are you ok?" Rei asked.

_'Whoa... he's even cuter from up close.'_ Neha thought, "I-I'm fine."

He lets her down on the ground. Her legs suddenly gave in. He caught her. She stood up properly.

"So are you Neha?" Rei asked.

"Oh! Yes! That would be me." Neha said, "And you are?"

"Rei Yuki." Rei said.

"Ah, so you're the pilot of the Byakuen." Neha said, "So how does it feel?"

"Well... it feels like it's a part of me and I'm a part of it." Rei said, "At least that's how I think that's how it works."

"I see." Neha said, "We brought something with you to better improve your reaction time with the Byakuen."

She brought a case and opened it up. It looked like a white body suit. Rei took it out.

"What is this?" Rei asked.

"It's a pilot suit. Most Knightmare Frame Pilots use these to cut out interference between the Knightmare and the pilot, increasing the sync ratio." Neha said, "It looks a bit bulky at first, but once you put it on, there should be a button on the collar to decompress the air inside, making it skintight. Try putting it on."

He took it and went elsewhere to put it on. He took off most of his Black Knights uniform and puts the suit on. He zips it up and pressed the button on the collar. The suit decompresses the air out and becomes skintight. He came out wearing the suit.

"Huh, it fits." Rakshata said, "That should increase his life expectancy."

_'It feels as though I put another layer of skin on my body...'_ Rei thought.

"Big brother?" Rolo asked, "What's with that suit you're wearing?"

Rei turned to see Rolo and the Yamato kids in their Black Knights Uniform.

"That thing... it rubs me the wrong way..." Akihiro said.

"Yeah, that... uh... I don't know, doesn't it feel weird for you?" Koji asked.

"It's just my pilot suit guys." Rei said.

"We know that, it's just... it kind of feels like your naked." Ren said.

"What he said." Kai said.

"Looks good on you." Aya said.

"Ah, it fits perfectly. Size, build, everything checks out." Neha said, "Now you should be able to operate the Byakuen with ease."

"I checked the VSEBD, She's good to go." Ganabati said, "And is this the Byakuen's pilot?"

"That's him." Neha said.

The big Indian man looked at Rei. Rei sensed respect and fascination from the man.

"He looks like a worthy pilot. Seems like Zero chose wisely." Ganabati said, "It's a good thing the Byakuen's held out this long."

"Have you checked the Byakuen's combat data?" Neha asked.

"Yeah, I checked it. You wouldn't believe what I found." Ganabati said, "All that hard work and this kid manages to make it all pay off with incredible reaction timing, extremely good precision, and some seriously damn good maneuverability."

"Huh?!" Neha exclaimed.

"Would have been 100% if he were wearing the suit, or even higher than that." Ganabati said.

_'My god!'_ Neha thought, _'He's that good?!'_

"Well, that's me alright." Rei said, 'I am an Overman after all.'

Naoto was finally wearing the pilot suit. His was blue.

"Was there any reason why mine has to be blue?" Naoto asked.

"On the bright side, it matches your Knightmare." Ohgi said.

"I know, but..."

"I'd say it looks good on you." Minami said.

"It rubs me the wrong way to be honest." Yoshida said.

"Kinda feels like you're naked." Sugiyama said.

"Is there any reason why we have to wear these?" Kallen asked as she was wearing hers.

"It's to increase your life expectancy." Rakshata said.

"And now she had to make it weird." Naoto said.

* * *

**Narita**

The Glaston Knights and Guilford have brought roses with them. They were standing in front of a monument that was to honor the soldiers who died in Narita. The names of those soldiers were forever engraved on it. Among the names was Andreas Darlton.

"Did he at least die with dignity?" Claudio asked.

"Yes." Guilford said, "He died with dignity."

The brothers left the flowers at the monument along all the other flowers left by the families and loved ones of those soldiers whose names have been engraved on the monument.

"He was a good man. A good man who did all he could as both a soldier and a parent." Claudio said, "As his son, thank you father, and as a soldier, he will be missed..."

"To be honest... if it wasn't for him, we'd only have each other." Bart said, "And yet, here we are. He's gone and we're all that we have left. Aside from Lord Guilford that is."

"I'm sure he's at peace somewhere in heaven... I mean, he has to be at peace, right?" Alfred asked.

"I keep wondering to myself whether he's watching us from up there. I keep telling myself that he is." Edgar said, "Yet part of me doubts that's the case. But I still believe he is watching regardless."

"I keep asking myself why we're still here. Is it just to suffer in this world?" David asked, "Every single day is like torture without him. I can still feel it. His still fading presence, all the good times we had, that emotional connection, that special bond, you guys feel it too, don't you?"

The brothers began to shed tears and sob. Guilford remembered those days when he was newly introduced into Cornelia's Royal Guard.

_"He's a tough bastard. I can see it in his eyes."_ Darlton's voice echoed as Guilford remembered the past.

_'And I still am... even after his passing... I still hang on, clinging for dear life.'_ Guilford thought.

A single tear was shed from his eye. He placed his flowers on the monument, adding it to the pile of flowers.

"It's like everything is still there, isn't it?" Guilford asked.

"Y-Yes..."

"It's still there sir..."

"We'll... we'll make damn sure his death wasn't for nothing." David said, "Even if one of us has to go down with him."

* * *

_**Night**_

**Britannian Memorial Museum**

Euphemia was at a museum with Nonette guarding her. The press was there as well. Not only did the press seemed concerned about what had happened over the last two military operations that ended in failure, but they were also curious as to her majesty's choosing of a Knight. Not only that, Euphemia was to select the winner among the many paintings Clovis made.

Euphemia thought about Clovis back before he was made Viceroy of Area 11. Back before the Shinjuku Skirmish happened.

_'If things were different, would you have lived Clovis?'_ Euphemia thought, _'If things were different...'_

Then the boy came into her mind again. It made her think about the boy. He was so young and had so much to live for. But then the war and the Shinjuku Skirmish occurred. If neither of those events had happened, that boy would have never known the horrors of war and he would have never been a part of the Black Knights. Knowing that the boy would one day be killed by Suzaku, Rai, the Glaston Knights, her sister, the Knights of the Round, her own father, and eventually by her own hands fill her with worry and fear that a mother would have about their child in times of war.

_'That poor boy... why? Why did things have to be like this? Please, anyone... someone... save him. Save him before it's too late...'_ Euphemia thought, _'I don't care who it is. Just save him and take him away from the battlefield... give him a happy life like had back then. It's all I ask...'_

"You're highness?" A noble asked, "Are you there?"

"Huh?" Euphemia said as her thought was disrupted.

"I can understand how you feel in regards to your brother—I mean the previous Viceroy's actions before his death, but you must choose the winner among these paintings." The noble said, "It is tragic that he had gone down the path of darkness, but at least he will be honored in the art community."

"There's no need to rush her. She'll choose." Nonette said, _'What could be on her mind right now?'_

Euphemia looked at a painting of Marianne who was sitting along with her two younger half siblings. She could tell this was Clovis's painting from how much hard work he put into it. Every stroke of his brush was excellent, every color he used complimented each other well, every shadow, every touch of color, all of it was so well done, it was as if it was painted by the second coming of Leonardo Da Vinci.

_'He always aspired to be the best painter of them all...'_ Euphemia thought.

* * *

**Britannian Military Base**

The Purebloods were assigned to this military base. Kewell was practically left in charge of it due to Jeremiah's condition. Jeremiah was no longer in any condition to fight after what happened in Narita and Villetta had gone missing. The Rose Knights were there as well. The Rose Knights have been doing tests with the Sutherland Eye. The ASEEC Corps was here to conduct tests as well. The Knight of Ten was also here for a routine inspection of the base as well.

He thought about his sister, Marika. She left Area 11 and went back to the homeland to be a test pilot for Steiner Konzern's prototype called the Bradford. From what he heard, the Bradford was to incorporate the technologies of the Somerset and the Sutherland Ikaros together to create an air superiority Knightmare Frame to rule the skies. The Somerset was simply a testbed for the possibility of flight enabled Knightmares that were to come should it show good results. The Ikaros was to test if it is possible to create a Knightmare Frame with a powerful superstructure that would use more powerful weaponry. Not only that, but there was also her fiancée, Leonhardt Steiner. He could care less about the Steiner heir or the fact that they have served the Weinberg family. He didn't exactly trusted the Steiners at all. At least his sister won't have to be the next unlucky soul to be killed by the Black Knights' Deadly Three.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Rachel fires at the Lancelot and the Club. The two seventh gen Knightmares withstood the shots with their Blaze Luminous shields.

"Is there really a need for this?! I'd much appreciate it if we weren't being used for target practice!" Rai complained.

"Oh shut it you two, you're doing just fine." Durandal said, "Besides, in order to know the limits of the Advanced Factsphere system, we need some very skilled pilots for the system to run up against."

"But does it have to be us?" Rai asked.

"Just quit your complaining." Suzaku said.

"How's VARIS working?" Durandal asked.

"It's doing fine, no abnormalities detected." Rachel said, "Secondary Yggdrasil Drive reactor is stable."

"Good, that should conclude the tests then." Durandal said, "We're done here."

The two Lancelots stopped.

"Oh good, it's over." Rai said.

"So does that mean the VARIS will be mass produced?" Suzaku asked.

"Like they said, experimental. We don't have enough data to suggest that it's possible." Lloyd said.

"I see..." Rai said.

"Thanks for the help." Durandal said.

An explosion occurred. Sirens went off.

"Rachel! The Factsphere!" Durandal said.

"R-Right!" Rachel said as she pressed a button.

An interface mechanism drops down and covers her head. The Factsphere activates, giving her a 3-D representation of the area. She got enemy signatures breaching the base. There were many of them. The base was completely surrounded.

"We got enemies breaching the base from multiple areas!" Rachel said.

"Damn! We gotta recharge! Can you hold them off for as long as possible?" Rai asked.

"We'll try." Durandal said, "Rachel, use the Factsphere to guide our troops, head to a secure location."

"Yes sir!" Rachel said.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

An explosion went off at a gate as Sutherlands got into position to form a defensive line. The Byakuen came out with five white Burai Kai's following it.

"The White One! It's the White Beetle!" A soldier exclaimed.

"Don't let him through! Fire fire!" Another soldier said.

The Sutherland's began firing. The Byakuen flipped out its cannon and loaded a grenade. It fired the grenade. It hits a Sutherland and began releasing a high energy reaction. The Sutherland bubbles before the grenade exploded. The combined explosion of the grenade and the Sutherland blasted a hole in the defensive line. The Kais pulled their swords out.

"Let's cut through them!" Akihiro said.

The Kais cut down the Sutherlands that were in their way. Rolo was amazed inside his Burai Kai.

"So this is how big brother felt when he piloted a Knightmare..." Rolo said.

"I know, it gets my blood pumping!" Akihiro said.

"These Kais are amazing! These are way better than ordinary Burai!" Koji said.

"You got that right!" Aya said, "What about you Shinji?"

"I-I'm fine!" Shinji Testuya said.

"Watch it rookies, you don't want to bite it just yet!" Akihiro said.

The Byakuen stopped.

"White Flames! Fall in!" Rei said.

White Burai came in with the Black Knights insignia that looked like it had flames on it. As he watched them come in, he thought back on what was going on before the operation began.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

**Black Knights Mobile HQ**

"You want me to lead my own unit?" Rei asked.

"Yes, what you did in Narita is amazing in regards to leadership." Zero said, "That is why I am giving you a unit to call your own."

He pulled out a binder containing a list of names. Rei felt the responsibility come on to him.

"Choose whoever you want from our current forces, but the Four Holy Swords, Naoto, Kallen, along with everyone in the Red Moon, Katase, and Todoh stay under my command. I'll need them for the time being." Zero said, "Your unit will be the White Flame. It is under your command now, but know that their lives are in your hands. Don't disappoint me or your new subordinates."

"I won't let you down." Rei said.

* * *

_**Present**_

**Britannian Military Base**

_'That's right, the White Flame unit is under my command. I must lead them to victory.'_ Rei thought, _'More importantly, I must make sure they come back safely as their leader.'_

"All White Flames have assembled commander." Aya said, "What are our orders?"

"Aya, take the first squad and disable anymore Knightmares before they can leave." Rei said, "Koji, take the second squad and set up a secure supply line for the trucks to come in."

"Got it!" Aya and Koji said.

Aya took the first squad with her as Koji took the second.

"Akihiro, take the third squad and raid the armory and make sure the enemy can't retrieve any weapons or supplies." Rei said.

"You got it." Akihiro said, "With me you idiots!"

He took the third squad with him.

"And me brother?" Rolo asked.

"You take the fourth squad and gain access to the brig, free anyone inside and get them to the trucks." Rei said.

"Yes brother." Rolo said, "Follow me."

Rolo and the fourth squad left.

"Shinji, take the fifth squad and secure the entrance, we need a way in and out for the trucks." Rei said, "We might also have to use that to escape as well."

"And you sir?" Shinji asked.

"I'll proceed on ahead and eliminate the enemy forces in this sector of the base." Rei said, "Once everyone else has done their part, I'll have Ren come in with the trucks and have all the supplies, weapons, and prisoners out of here."

"But what about you?" Shinji asked.

"I'll be fine. If you see the signal flare, head on to the rendezvous point without me. I'll go and regroup with Zero after I'm done in this sector." Rei said, "Now go!"

"Good hunting sir." Shinji said.

Rei headed off while Shinji took the fifth squad and secured the entrance. He thought about the plan well.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

**Black Knights Mobile HQ**

"Rei and the newly formed White Flame unit will enter the base here while the rest of the Black Knights enter from here, here, and here." Zero said, "The White Flames will be in charge of stealing supplies from this part of the base as most of their supplies are stored there while the Black Knights will cause a lot of disruption with the enemy and keep them focused on us."

"So we act as a diversion so the kid here can loot the place while there's a storm going on? I like it." Naoto said.

"You can't be serious." Chiba said, "Trusting a child with his own unit? Are you sure about this?"

"You do know he killed a Britannian Knight, right?" Naoto asked.

"Yes, I—that's not even the point!" Chiba said.

"I have faith in him. Just as all of you have faith in me." Zero said, "He won't fail us. That I can assure you of."

"Well kid? You're up for it?" Senba asked.

"I can do it." Rei said.

"Well you heard him, let's rock." Izumi said.

"Yeah! Now we can go on the offensive!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Yoshida said.

* * *

_**Present**_

**Britannian Military Base**

_'That's right, everyone is counting me!'_ Rei thought, _'I'll do it!'_


	29. Chapter 28: The White Flame Burns

**Chapter 28: The White Flame Burns**

"Unit 4, Hold your position. Reinforcements are heading your way." Rachel said, "Unit 10 stop and fall back, enemy force coming in to flank you from the left!"

"Status report." Durandal said.

"It's bad sir, the Black Knights have caught our forces off guard, Sector 5-8 are being hit hard and we already lost Sector 4." Rachel said, "At this rate, the base will be lost!"

"What about Sector 11?" Durandal asked.

"Sector 11?" Rachel asked.

She looked to Sector 11 on her map and saw that a concentration of Black Knights were all over the place while one unit was charging at an ally unit.

_'That red dot... that's not the Jack is it? And that many Black Knights in that area... they're not trying to steal the supplies here, are they?!'_ Rachel thought, "Sir, they must be after the supplies in Sector 11! We must have our forces there to hold it!"

"Yes, we should. But what if the enemy knew that we figured out what they were after?" Durandal asked, "It seems they made it so that even if we knew, we wouldn't be able to do anything about it. We may need reinforcements."

"But what about our forces sir?" Rachel asked.

"We Rose Knights will handle the enemy in Sector 11, you just keep an eye on the battlefield." Durandal said.

"R-Right!" Rachel said.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

A Sutherland was shooting nonstop at a Gekka. Asahina, who was piloting it, cuts the Sutherland down. Urabe sliced another Sutherland and shoots a burst of bullets into the Sutherland to finish it off. The Gekka's shoot into the air, signaling Burai to enter the base.

Over to another part of the base, Todoh's Black Gekka with red hair-like appendages along with Senba and Chiba's Gekkas came in and slashed the Sutherlands in their way.

"These Gekkas are better than the Burai Kais..." Todoh said.

"Are you sure handing those kids the Burai Kais was a good idea?" Senba asked.

"They fought excellently well in combat. They'll do just fine." Todoh said, "Guren Mk2, Pre-Gekka, are you there?"

* * *

Naoto fires off the Radiant Wave Surger and bounced off a Sutherland, knocking it down with a radiation blast. He fired at another Sutherland, gunning it down.

"Yup, got this end covered up." Naoto said, "These guys are nuggets, they can't even hit the broadside of a fruit, let alone a Knightmare Frame."

Kallen stabbed a Sutherland through the chest, killing the pilot. The Sutherland fell on its knees. Kallen took her fork knife out and shot her left cannon at another Sutherland. The round hits the knee, causing the Sutherland to lose balance. The pilot ejects from his Knightmare.

"I feel bad for whoever is going to take the blame for all of this." Kallen said.

"Battle first, regret later, we got more of them to deal with here." Naoto said.

"Right." Kallen said.

* * *

**Sector 11**

Aya and the first squad attacked a Knightmare hangar, destroying all the Knightmares in the hangar before they could be launched. The Britannian pilots were quick to take cover. The Sutherlands inside the hangar were reduced to scrap. The Burais stopped firing.

"Move onto the next one!" Aya said.

* * *

Koji and the second squad gunned down a platoon of Sutherlands. The area looked clear.

"Alright, take up positions, I want this route secured." Koji said.

* * *

Akihiro and the third squad broke into the army and gunned down anyone who was in the way.

"Come on! Secure those weapons!" Akihiro said, "We get these things hauled onto the trucks and leave after we're done!"

* * *

Rolo and the fourth squad arrived at the brig and blew a wall down.

"We've busted through!" A Black Knight said.

"Good, get ready to free the prisoners." Rolo said, _'Big Brother...'_

* * *

Rei shot a Sutherland's head off, forcing the pilot to eject.

"He's right there! Shoot him!" A soldier said as a group of Sutherlands moved in and started firing.

He was quick to rip a chaos mine out of the hip of a Sutherland and toss it. The chaos mine splits open and spews shrapnel. The Sutherlands backed away. The shrapnel hits their rifles, damaging them. The Sutherlands ditch their rifles and pulled their tonfas out. He withdrew the cannon and pulled an irregular blade out. One of the Sutherlands rushes towards him. He dodged an attack and cuts one arm off. Another Sutherland tried to get him from behind. Rei senses the incoming attack and was quick to parry the attack and counters it with a horizontal slash. He blocked an attack from the first Sutherland and stabbed it in the chest. The unit fell on its knees. A third Sutherland jumped at Rei. He was quick to turn and face the Sutherland. He fired a slash harken. The harken tore itself in the Sutherland and is pulled out before the Sutherland exploded. A fourth charged in and rams the Byakuen. He stabilized the Byakuen and charged at the Sutherland. He feints with a left and then swung with a right. The Sutherland ducked at the last second and the blade cuts the top of the cockpit block off.

He whips out the cannon and fired a round at one of the Sutherland's leg, crippling it. It fell down. There he saw a female Britannian pilot looking at him with fear in her eyes. For a brief moment, he remembered why he was fighting and remembered all the soldiers he had killed. Within that brief moment, he thought about the very last few moments of the soldiers he killed. He thought of the horror the soldiers felt as he was about to kill them. He thought of the remorse of the families of those soldiers. Then that girl with the pink hair came to mind. He remembered who she was. She was Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Holy Empire of Britannia. He thought about her within that brief moment.

That Britannian Princess reminded him of his mother. Her eyes looked sincerely gentle. There was no deception in her eyes. They were of a beautiful color unlike his mother's eyes, which he had inherited. Her bluish violet eyes did not betray her peaceful nature. His mother's eyes felt just the same. Her tears showed true sadness when he told her that his parents had died. In a way, he thought she would make a genuine mother figure. Her sister on the other hand was different.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

**Saitama Ghetto**

"There's already been enough blood spilled here! Why continue this senseless battle?!" Rei asked, "All you're doing is inflicting suffering on innocent people! Don't you think this is enough?!"

"Me? Inflict suffering on innocent people?! You insult me, boy!" Cornelia said, "Your kind has inflicted suffering onto innocent Britannians! By what right do you have to tell me that I've inflicted suffering on innocent people when your kind has done just the same?!"

"You are a mere child who simply just can't accept the status quo! A child with mere delusions of the past!" She added. "Accept it already! Your kind has already lost a war that ended 7 years ago! Your kind are nothing but Numbers! You are beneath Britannia! You are nothing more but dogs!"

"Never!" Rei said.

* * *

**Yokosuka**

He watched as Cornelia's Gloucester pulled out a anti-personnel gun and aimed it at Nina. The memory of his father's death flashed back into his mind. Horror came to his head once again at the thought of losing someone dear to him.

_'No... stop it...'_ Rei thought, "STOP IT!"

The anti-personnel gun fired a bullet at Nina's chest. His eyes widened. Tears came from his eyes as he saw Nina fall.

"N—Nina..." Rei said, "No... please... don't... don't leave me..."

He was so focused on Nina, he couldn't hear Zero roaring and rushing to Cornelia. He felt sadness come to him. He saw her arm reach out to him. He read her lips as she had trouble breathing.

_R-Rei... I... I'm sorry..._

His emotions surged as she continued to bleed. He felt his pulse getting faster, his breathing was getting quickly. His sobs were escaping his mouth. He then heard the sound of metal being crushed. He looked out in front to see Zero's Burai fall on its knees as a sword came down on it.

What was once sadness, sorrow, and pain now turned into anger, pure, burning, anger. He felt his eye beginning to tingle. His rage began to rise like pressure in a steam engine. His rage kept rising and rising and he felt the urge to murder Cornelia right now. The mental restraints in his head tried to hold back this encroaching rage, but it was only a matter of time before it erupted like a volcano. Everything turned red and all he could feel was rage.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

**Britannian Military Base**

That was probably the first time anyone had ever pushed him so far like that. If that were to happen again, he feared that he might not be able to come back from his rage and that it could actually kill anyone around him, be it friend or foe.

He shook his head.

_'No, stop it. Focus on why you are here.'_ Rei thought, _'You chose this path because you want to put an end to the fighting, to stop all this unnecessary bloodshed. That's what you decided when you got in that Glasgow.'_

He left the pilot to be alone by herself. He sensed danger as his alarms went off. He turned to see a chaos mine in the air. He backed away just as it opened and started spewing shrapnel. A Sutherland came out from behind and held him by the waist. Rei spun the Byakuen and forced the Sutherland off of him. He sensed danger coming from behind. He rolled out of the way as another Sutherland tried to attack him from behind. He knocks the Sutherland in front of him down. He jumped off of the Sutherland and kicked the Sutherland behind him. More Sutherlands came out from the shadows and surrounded him. He noticed that the shoulder pads were red, meaning just one thing.

"So we meet again, brat." A familiar voice travels to his ear.

Rei turned to see one of the Sutherlands with someone standing up from out of the cockpit. He recognized that face if he had seen it.

"Y-You..." Rei said.

"In case you forgot, I am Kewell Soresi." Kewell said, "The moment you shot me in the back was the moment you made the worst life decision on par with fighting for a terrorist group."

_'Damnit! How do I get out of this one?'_ Rei thought.

"Because of you and your friends over there, my entire military career has been nothing but a downward spiral." Kewell said, "But here we are. I have you right where I want you and there's no way out for you."

He could almost imagine all the rewards he'll get from bringing this child in to the Viceroy. He could almost tell what kind of punishment this child was going to get for what he has done.

"I'll be known as the one who not only captured Andreas Darlton's murderer, but also the one who captured Zero's little student as well." Kewell said, "If you surrender now, maybe I won't have to hurt everyone you care about, or do their lives mean nothing to you?"

"You—!" Rei exclaimed.

"Hmph! Just as I thought!" Kewell said, "I figured the third princess of Britannia would try to keep you away from the battlefield by putting you in some school."

"L-Leave them out of this!" Rei said.

"Oh I will, but only if you really care about them that much." Kewell said, "Now out of the Knightmare already."

"You... heartless monster..." Rei said.

Kewell smirked, _'Finally... after all of this... I have finally done it...'_

**BANG!**

A bullet went through his chest. He turned to see a Gloucester. The Gloucester in question had a anti-personnel gun with a smoking barrel. The Gloucester had red stripes that looked almost like blood splatters on its chest, it's arms, legs, and head. It had a lance and a shield in its hands.

"L-Luciano Bradley?" Kewell asked, "W-Why?"

"Because if anyone is going to kill him, it might as well be me then." Luciano said with the speakers on, "Anyone else want to call dibs?"

"Kewell!" Rei exclaimed.

"Why are you showing concern for him? Didn't he basically threatened to go after your friends if you didn't surrender yourself?" Luciano asked. "Then again, it's not like you two were friendly with each other in the first place. I practically did you a favor."

"But he was one of your comrades! Why?!" Rei asked.

"Boy, I am the Vampire of Britannia," Luciano said. "I could care less if I end up killing an ally or an enemy. Killing people gives me a huge rush in my head."

Rei was sending bloodlust within the Gloucester. It was pure chaos incarnate. The man in front of him was not human. It was as if the devil was standing in front of him.

"Killing just turns me on! The blood! The pain! The screams! It's so addicting! If I stop killing, I'll get bored! I want to take what people value the most! Their own lives that is!" Luciano ranted. "Tell me, how did it feel when you killed her Highness' Royal Guard?! Did it give you one hell of a rush?! Oh! No! Wait! What about the G-1 in Narita?! No! What about Andreas Darlton?! You must have gotten one hell of a rush from that!"

_'This guy...'_ Rei thought, "I'm not like you."

Luciano stopped laughing. He knocked the Sutherland out of his way.

"What?" Luciano asked.

"Unlike you, I don't enjoy killing people. It brings nothing but pain." Rei said, "I know fighting won't bring peace, but I know killing people is absolutely wrong."

Luciano laughed.

"You think killing is wrong?! That's rich!" Luciano said. "You didn't hesitate to kill all those people in the G-1 at Narita! You didn't seem to care when you murdered Andreas Darlton with your own two hands! How can you say killing is wrong when you've already killed some people?!"

Rei rushed at the Gloucester and swung his sword. Luciano blocked it with his lance.

"Did I strike a cord?" Luciano asked.

Rei pushes the Gloucester back. The Purebloods grabbed Kewell and hightailed it out of here.

"Oh Valkyries~! Lucy needs a little bit of help with this one~!" Luciano said.

A group of four Gloucesters came out and joined up with Luciano Bradley. They were two-toned pink colored Gloucesters.

"Grausam Valkyrie Squadron, present!" A quartet of female voices said.

_'Wait! Girls?! In Knightmare Frames?!'_ Rei thought, "You..."

"Jealous because I have more girls than you do?" Luciano asked. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you that one is enough, or are you just a naughty boy?"

"Shut up!" Rei said.

He charged in. The Valkyries charged in and came at him with a four pronged attack. He jumped over a Gloucester and rushed towards Luciano. Luciano smacked the Byakuen with its shield. The shield opens up to reveal missiles inside.

"Let's dance pretty boy!" Luciano said.

The missiles came at the Byakuen. Rei switched his Geass on. A red barrier appears. The missiles slam into the barrier and explode on impact. The Byakuen rushes out from the smoke and kicked the Gloucester in the head.

"Sir! All squads report that they have done their assignments!" A Black Knight said.

"Alright, send in the trucks!" Rei said.

He backs away as the Valkyrie Squadron rushed to Luciano. He runs away from them as Luciano got back up.

"After him!" Luciano ordered.

The Squadron went after the Byakuen with Luciano in hot pursuit.

* * *

**At the Entrance**

The trucks began to flow into the base and stopped by numerous areas of the base. The doors opened as Burai were loading the supplies onto the trucks.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The Four Holy Swords were rallying to Todoh.

"Colonel, the enemy forces have been eliminated in this sector." Senba said.

"Me and Asahina are done up here." Urabe said.

"Good work, all of you." Todoh said. "With this, we will—!"

"Look out!" Naoto said.

Todoh dodged a harken. He looked to see the Lancelot along with the Club, and the two custom Sutherlands. The harken returned to the Lancelot.

"The Lancelot..." Todoh said, "The White Knight that has been interfering with the resistance movement..."

Lelouch looked at the Lancelot as it continued to approach him and the group that's with him.

_'Suzaku... we meet again.'_ Lelouch thought, _'This time however, I already have an advantage over you.'_

* * *

"Oh come on! The enemy has new models already?! And we just discussed that!" Rai exclaimed.

"It seems the Black Knights have already begun making more Knightmares to stand up against the Lancelot." Schnee said, "At this rate, they'll mass produce them before the Lancelot can be mass-produced."

Suzaku was feeling an ominous presence coming from the Black Knightmare coming to him. He suddenly saw an image of Todoh.

_'T-Todoh-sensei?'_ Suzaku thought, _'Must I fight against you as well?'_

* * *

"Zero, what are your orders?" Todoh asked.

"I know how his movement pattern works. The first attack isn't a feint. It's dead on." Zero said.

The Four Holy Swords came forth and were running to surround the enemy. The Lancelot Grail jumped out and fired its harkens at the Guren and Pre-Gekka. The two Knightmares avoid the attack.

"Durandal!" Kallen said.

"Ah, if it isn't the Red Queen and the Blue King." Durandal said, "I think it's about time we settled our little contest from Narita, don't you think?"

"Careful sis. He's always got something up his sleeve." Naoto said.

"Right!" Kallen said.

* * *

The Lancelot charged in head on and pulled a sword out. The Club puts its double spear together. The Lancelot swung its sword, but Todoh's Gekka dodged the attack. Rai twirled the double spear and swung it at Todoh. He blocks the MVS with his sword. He pushed the double spear back and swung its sword down. The Club protected itself with its shield.

"Who the hell is this guy?!" Rai exclaimed.

Todoh kicked the Club out of the way as the Lancelot pulled its VARIS out and aimed it at Todoh. He ducked as a shot fired off and backed away from the Lancelot. Schnee fires at Todoh as well. Ledo charged in with his bayonet. Todoh evaded the shots and shot a slash harken at the rifle Schnee held. The rifle was knocked out of his hands.

"I got him!" Ledo said.

"On the contrary." Todoh said as he blocked a bayonet thrust.

He forced the Sutherland back and cuts it down with a slash. Ledo bailed out of his Sutherland.

"G-1-5!" Lelouch called out.

The Lancelot backed off. Suzaku felt a threat in front of him. Asahina came out and fired at the Lancelot. Suzaku puts his shields up. The bullets were deflected and he backed away. He felt an attack coming from behind. He turned as Urabe came in with his sword.

"He's actually doing it." Urabe said.

Suzaku parried the blow and aimed his VARIS at the Gekka, only for it to knock rifle out of the Lancelot's hands.

_'They're predicting my moves?'_ Suzaku thought.

* * *

**Museum**

Euphemia was still trying to think of the painting to choose as the winner. In the midst of it all, she thought about the boy.

_'That boy... is there anything that can be done for him?'_ Euphemia thought.

Phones began to ring for some strange reason. People had been answering their phones and the TV screen behind the audience flickered on. Live footage of the base that was under attack was displayed on the TV screen.

"Of course I can see that the base is under attack, it's on live TV damnit..." Nonette said, "Call for air support obviously! Quit acting like ninnies!"

* * *

**Black Knights Mobile HQ**

"So that's the Lancelot?" Rakshata asked.

"That's the one." Ohgi said.

"And the red one is the Grail, correct?" Neha asked.

"Yup." Inoue said.

"It's definitely Lloyd's work no doubt." Rakshata said, "He managed to stabilize the Blaze Luminous shields he was working on as well as the particle accelerator on his little toy gun. He even perfected the MVSs' oscillation rates and heat temperatures."

"And it's using the implementation of Sakuradite all over the body." Neha said.

"You basically did the same thing yourself." Ganabati said.

"Yes, but the Byakuen is using parts that surpass it and the any other Knightmare Frame in existence." Neha said, "Besides, there is no way the Lancelot could surpass my Byakuen with specs like that."

Rakshata coughed.

"Oh! I forgot you helped in designing it..." Neha said, "Sorry."

* * *

**Britannian Base**

The Byakuen backed away from the Valkyrie Squadron as they chased him out to the center of the base. Rei saw the other Black Knights duking it out with the Britannians.

Lelouch saw the Byakuen and the Valkyrie Squadron that was attacking the Byakuen. He gritted his teeth at the sight.

_'The Vampire of Britannia?! Why now of all times?!'_ Lelouch thought.

"Tell me that's not who I think that is!" Naoto said.

"Lord Bradley? I didn't know you had an interest in the Jack as well." Durandal said, "How about you take the Queen and King while I deal with him for you?"

"I don't need your help! Just stay out of my way! He's mine!" Luciano said.

Rei backed away from Luciano. A Valkyrie got behind him. He swung his sword at the Gloucester. The Gloucester lost its right arm. He brought the cannon out and blasted the Gloucester's head right off. The Valkyrie bailed out. He puts the cannon down and the blade forms up. He stabbed a Gloucester that was jumping towards him. The blade pierced through the waist of the Knightmare. The Valkyrie bailed out as the unit exploded. Two other Valkyries charged in for the kill. Rei backed off at the Gloucesters ran into each other and narrowly avoided killing one another. They were stuck as their lances were caught up by the prongs. He slashed the Gloucesters by the waist. The pilots bailed out.

"Bravo kid, but now you'll have to dance with me." Luciano said. "Let's make this fun!"

He thrusts the lance at Rei. Rei blocked the attack with his sword and pushed the Gloucester back. He fired off a few rounds at the Gloucester. Luciano puts his shield up to take the hits for him. Luciano charged at the Byakuen. Rei pulls back to get some distance. He dodged Luciano's relentless attacks.

* * *

Lloyd and Cecile were watching from the tower.

"My my... the Jack's doing surprisingly holding up against the Vampire of Britannia." Lloyd said. "That's a feat no one could accomplish easily. That is unless you're Bismarck Waldstein or a member of the Knights of the Round."

"And the new models the enemy are using are putting some serious pressure on Suzaku and the others." Cecile said. "I worry Lloyd. I worry that Suzaku and the others might not make it."

"Hm?" Lloyd muttered.

There was a yellow block on the back of the Byakuen. He had no idea what it was.

_'What could that be?'_ Lloyd thought.

* * *

**Black Knights Mobile HQ**

"How's the Byakuen doing?" Neha asked.

"The Byakuen's response time is beginning to fall." One of the assistants said.

"What?!" Neha asked.

"Damnit... not now..." Tamaki said.

Neha looked a Tamaki.

"Is there something that I think I need to know about?" Neha asked.

"Rei's pushing himself and the Knightmare beyond the limit." Ohgi said. "He has fought some scary opponents before, but the fact that he's fighting the Knight of Ten isn't exactly making this any better."

"At this point, even the Byakuen might not be able to keep up with his movements..." Sugiyama said.

"Damn! I knew I should have known that was going to happen!" Neha said, "If I had put a magnetic coating on the Byakuen before it was shipped out..."

"A magnetic coating?" Ohgi asked.

"It's a coat designed to lessen the friction between the joints." Rakshata said, "Less friction, less trouble."

"Will it hold together?" Neha asked.

"I'm not sure..." Ohgi said.

* * *

**Museum**

"Wow! Look at the White Jack! He's fighting the Knight of Ten!" A man said.

"Get him!" Another man said.

"Hey look! That white knight dodged another attack!" A third man said.

Nonette and Euphemia watched as the battle went on.

_'Lucy is really into it now... there's nothing that can stop his bloodlust...'_ Nonette thought.

_'Run... please... just run...'_ Euphemia thought as she looked at the Byakuen thought, _'Just run away... get out of there... run...'_

"When is that support going to be here?" Nonette asked on her headset, "Well make it faster! Say that we're aiding the base in repelling the terrorists!"

_'Rei...'_ Euphemia thought, _'Someone... anyone... help him.'_

* * *

**Britannian Military Base**

Rei was backed into a wall. Luciano continued his relentless assault. Rei blocked his attacks with his sword.

"Rei!" Kallen exclaimed as she tried to help him.

Durandal stopped her and swung his sword down. She blocked it with her fork knife.

"There's no need to be so hasty." Durandal said.

His Overman senses picked up on a attack coming from behind him. He threw the Guren at the Gekka, knocking both of them down.

"Damn..." Naoto said, "Kid..."

* * *

_'Damn! Not this again!'_ Rei thought. _'Everyone is in danger!'_

"Is that the best you got?!" Luciano said. "I'm going to violate you!"

Suddenly, a sword caught the lance.

"What?!" Luciano said, "Who dares?!"

Luciano turned to see a Burai Kai.

"A Burai?!" Luciano said.

"Stay away from my brother!" Rolo exclaimed as he activated his Geass.

Luciano froze before he could move the Knightmare. Rolo kicked the Gloucester away from the Byakuen. Luciano unfroze and looked around. He found himself knocked over. He got back up, now looking irritated.

"Now now... you're making me angry..." Luciano said. "I hate to be angry right now... and you don't want me to be angry... you wouldn't like me when I'm angry..."

"Brother, are you alright?" Rolo asked.

"Why? You know your power could stop your heart." Rei said, "You could have died."

"I know that brother. But even so, you're my brother." Rolo said, "I... I don't want to lose you... I don't want to be alone!"

Rei looked at his brother in shock.

"Rolo..." Rei said.

He got back up. Rolo took his heart medication. The brothers turned to face Luciano Bradley.

"Why? Why won't you just die already?!" Luciano said, "I'm the Knight of Ten!"

"Knight? You?" Rei asked, "Know your place. You think someone like you can be a knight? Knights are supposed to fight with chivalry. You aren't any better than some Refrain addict!"

A vein popped in Luciano's head.

"You think you deserve to be a Knight, least of all a Knight of the Round? Don't mess with me." Rei said, "Do you really think you'd be that lucky? A good-for-nothing thug like you?"

Luciano just about had enough of this child's drivel. He charged at the Byakuen with rage.

"Y... You sick bast—!"

The Gloucester was suddenly kicked over and fell on its back. Luciano was confused by it all. He had no idea what was going on. He got back up, only for Luciano to get shot at by another Burai Kai. The Yamato Kids we're rushing to help out Rei.

"Let's go!" Akihiro said.

"I called dibs on the head!" Koji said.

"Can we go focus?!" Aya said.

"Everyone!" Rei said.

"Don't worry, Shinji's in charge of getting everything in the trucks." Akihiro said.

"Let's get him!" Koji said.

"Right!" Rei said, "White Flames! Form up!"

"Wilco!"

Rolo, Aya, Akihiro, and Koji formed up around Rei. They surrounded Rei.

"You damn brats!" Luciano said, "I'll just kill every last one of you!"

"Go ahead and try. We're not afraid of some crazy whack job like you." Aya said.

A vein popped off in Luciano's head and he charged head forth at the five. They charged in.

"White Burning Trail Attack Formation!" Rei said.

Akihiro fires his cannons at Luciano, forcing the Knight of Ten to use his shield to take the hits. The shells explode and began to create a cloud of smoke. Akihiro breaks off as Koji fires at the Gloucester. The Gloucester had its shield up and dodged the shots and blocked the shots coming at him. A shot knocked the shield out of his hands. Koji broke off as Rolo and Aya charged at the Gloucester. They swung their sword down on Luciano, forcing him to block with his lance. The two backed off as Rei jumped and spin kicked the Gloucester. The Gloucester was knocked off to the right and tried to regain its balance. He landed and the Byakuen began to drift. It drifted to the right and swung around towards the Gloucester.

Luciano got his balance back and picked up the shield. But before he could fire the missiles inside, the Byakuen cuts the right arm off. Rei vanished with an afterimage in front of Luciano. He got behind the Gloucester and backhanded it. Rei pulled the folded device from his back. It quickly unfolded to reveal itself to be a barrel extension.

It looked like a long barrel with a bipod.

"Alright, Let's see if this bad boy works or not!" Rei said.

* * *

**Black Knights Mobile HQ**

"The VSEBD!" Neha exclaimed.

"The what?" Ohgi asked.

"Variable Super Electromagnetic Barrel Device." Rakshata said, "That's the seventh weapon the Byakuen's Type-7 Right Arm was going to use."

"Once the two combine, they create the Super Electromagnetic Accelerator Cannon!" Neha said, "It uses a Sakuradite activation drive coupled with the Byakuen's Accelerator Cannon to fire an object at very high velocity and with high amounts of energy that it could shatter through the penetrate the Earth's crust and probably level an entire bunker!"

There was a pause.

"Wait... I... you lost me." Tamaki said.

"In other words, it's a mini Inazuma." Katase said.

"WHAT?!" The former Red Moon members exclaimed.

"Yes, it's like that." Rakshata said, "Now you're sure it won't explode or anything?"

"I... hope it works..." Neha said.

"It better work. I didn't bust my ass just to see it blow itself up." Ganabati said.

* * *

**Britannian Military Base**

Rei connects the device with the cannon. He got on one knee and activated the bipod. The bipod extended and land on the ground successfully. He aimed it at Luciano.

"What the hell is that?" Luciano asked.

* * *

Kallen and Naoto looked at the Byakuen with the barrel device attached.

"So uh... should we get to a safe distance? That gun uh... it looks real menacing..." Naoto said.

Durandal turned to see the Byakuen.

"That weapon... no... they couldn't have..." Durandal said.

* * *

"Lloyd, I think we should leave." Cecile said.

"I don't know, as I scientist, I have to see this through to the end." Lloyd said.

"How about we do that after we get to a safe place to watch?" Cecile asked.

"What's the worse that could happen Cecile?" Lloyd asked.

* * *

"Now I know what you're thinking," Luciano said. "Should I blast him with this very powerful gun? Now the answer may surprise you."

"What do you value most? Your own pitiful life." Rei said.

"You think that you, an Eleven, can threaten me?!" Luciano asked.

"If you didn't want to die, you should have stayed home!" Rei said.

He pulls the trigger. The sakuradite activation drive starts up. Suddenly, the cannon fired a shell going at super high speeds. The recoil pushes the Byakuen back. The pressure of the recoil strained the joints. Air blasted out of the vents. The round was moving so fast that there wasn't enough time for Luciano to evade. He puts the shield up. The shell slammed into the shield and with so much kinetic energy in it, it broke through the shield with hardly any effort. It broke through and smashed into the chest and smashes through its body. The Gloucester exploded as the round hits the tower Lloyd and Cecile were on and exploded. The tower began to fall over.

"Lloyd! Cecile! No!" Rai said.

"NO!" Suzaku said.

"By the Emperor..." Durandal said.

"Sweet mother of god..." Naoto said.

"What... What did we just watch?" Kallen asked.

"I don't know. Could be God, could be the Devil, maybe it could be both." Naoto said.

"Rei..." Kallen said.

* * *

**Museum**

Everyone in the museum looked at the Byakuen with shock.

"By god..." a woman said.

"Is the Knight of Ten dead?" A man asked.

"Cut off the—!"

"No." Euphemia said, "We must see it through to the end."

Nonette looked at Euphie in surprise.

"Sub-Viceroy..." Nonette said, "I see..."

_'That boy... he's finally gone past that point now...'_ Euphemia thought.

* * *

**Black Knights Mobile HQ**

"Is the Byakuen alright?!" Neha asked.

"Status shows that it's still operating!" One of the assistants said.

"We're getting a lot of data from the Byakuen's Super Electromagnetic Accelerator Cannon!" Another assistant said.

"By god, the thing actually works." Rakshata said.

"Did he just... did he just nail the Knight of Ten?" Tamaki asked.

"Is that even a question to ask anymore?" Sugiyama asked, "That guy just bought it big time."

"There's no way he can recover from that..." Inoue said.

"Thats..." Katase said, "Such power... and it's all in the hands of a child who's either becoming a demon or a god. Hell if he's both in this case."

* * *

**Britannian Military Base**

Lelouch looked at the Byakuen with surprise.

_'He killed the Knight of Ten...'_ Lelouch thought.

He smiled, _'Good work, my student. You've made your master very proud today.'_

He chuckled, "What will you do now father?"

* * *

Lloyd managed to get out of the rubble with some injuries. He held onto his broken ribs. He was glad that his legs could still work. He was dragging an unconscious Cecile who was bleeding by the head.

"That crazy woman actually did it..." Lloyd said, "She created a powerful weapon so powerful that even Blaze Luminous can't stop it."

He looked at the Byakuen.

"How I envy you Rakshata." Lloyd said, "Oh, how I envy thee with great vengeance and furious anger."

* * *

Rei looked at the Super Electromagnetic Accelerator Cannon.

_'This thing packs one hell of a punch...'_ Rei thought, _'With this, not even Britannia's powerful green energy shield can stop me and the Black Knights.'_

He looked up.

_'Dad... if you are watching, I hope you can forgive me for killing your countrymen. I just hope that you understand why I had to do this.'_ Rei thought, _'Mom... Dad... watch over me and my friends.'_


	30. Chapter 29: Rippling Effect

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution **

**Chapter 29: Rippling Effect**

Suzaku looked at the Byakuen as it stood back up and disconnected the barrel device from its arm. It folds itself in.

"Damn... he just blasted the Knight of Ten like he was a joke..." Rai said.

_'Such firepower...'_ Suzaku thought.

"Rakshata couldn't have made that." Lloyd said.

"Rakshata?" Suzaku asked, "Is that a name I should know?"

"She and I met each other once in the Imperial Colchester Institute along with Cecile and I." Lloyd said, "She's the one that made the Radiant Wave Surger, a weapon that I'm sure you already witnessed. It causes a chain reaction that can inevitably destroy whatever it touches. The problem though is that it's power is too chaotic to control, so a catalyst is needed to keep the reactions under control. But that weapon the Jack is using couldn't have been made by her."

"But aren't you a scientist yourself?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, but even I wouldn't commit to creating a sakuradite accelerator drive if I knew that it could blow almost everything to smithereens." Lloyd said, "And I'm afraid that the Blaze won't protect you from that level of fire power."

"What?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, Blaze Luminous has a weakness. It's hard to pick out unless you're using an energy weapon." Lloyd said, "Just to make it clear, a projectile going faster than the speed of sound and packing that much kinetic energy that could smash a wall of tons of ferroconcrete will just shatter the Blaze Luminous into oblivion."

"In other words, we can only hope he misses or we dodge." Rai said, "And if we bite the bullet, that's it, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so." Lloyd said.

* * *

_**Britannian Homeland**_

"Are you serious?" Gino asked with shock, "Lucy's dead?"

"Hmph. It's what he deserves for underestimating the one who killed Andreas Darlton." Dorothea said.

"Look, I know the guy can sometimes be crazy or even some insane lunatic, but he was a Knight of the Round." Gino said, "The last person I'd want that bastard to end up killing is Anya."

"Because of her age?" Monica asked.

"She's still young!" Gino said, "Having her fight him would be like having a wolf fight a bear!"

"Still, it is a shame that Luciano fell to the hands of an Eleven." Bismarck said, "But at least his opponent was worthy."

* * *

_**Black Knights Mobile HQ**_

The former Red Moon members looked on.

"I don't get why you guys look so serious. He just offed the Knight of Ten. The Brits must be scared out of their minds!" Tamaki said.

"That's kind of the problem." Sugiyama said, "Killing a Knight of the Round pretty much gave the Brits an incentive to start making better Knightmares a lot faster."

"That and the Britannians will up their military presence as well." Ohgi said, "Never before did they see anyone they thought inferior kill a Knight of the Round. What Rei did was tantamount to smashing their pride to pieces."

"Is that good or bad?" Tamaki asked.

"Technically, it could be both." Rakshata said, "The recruits might start feeling scared. Not only that, with their pride hurt, they'll be more susceptible to making mistakes."

"On the other hand, they'll start fighting more seriously." Neha said, "That and they'll act desperate and resort to drastic measures to gain victory."

* * *

_**Britannian Military Base**_

"We gunned down the Knight of Ten!" Akihiro exclaimed, "Are you watching you Brits?! We just knocked off one of your best Knights!"

"Jeez, it was only one Knight." Koji said.

"It's true, we only have a lot more to go." Aya said.

"Big brother..." Rolo said.

Naoto scratches his head.

"Jeez kid, don't give them another reason to bury you..." Naoto said, "You already got Cornelia wanting your head, don't give the freaking Emperor a reason to kill you."

"He really is good at getting the attention of others..." Kallen said.

"We're done here." Zero said, "We've done enough."

"Commander! We got all the supplies loaded!" Shinji said.

'Right on cue!' Rei thought.

He fired off a signal flare. The Gekkas turned around and began to leave.

"Deploy chaff smoke!" Todoh said.

Chaff smoke was coming out of the Gekkas as the Guren, Byakuen, and Burai follow the Gekkas.

"Wait!" Suzaku said.

The Byakuen stops to give the Black Knights some time to get away. Rei switches on the Gefjun Breaker. The Black Knights were clear from the Gefjun Breaker. Rei fired it up. The green energy field begins to expand. The field hits the Lancelot and everything within 100 meters away from the Byakuen. The Lancelot was shut down and falls over.

"Damnit!" Suzaku cursed as he slammed the console.

Rei reactivated the Byakuen and began to egress base.

* * *

_**Britannian Museum**_

"The Black Knights... they just left..."

"What was that green light?"

"They killed a Knight of the Round..."

"What the hell is going on with Area 11?"

"I thought Area 11 was supposed to be under the control of Viceroy Cornelia."

Euphemia looked to the Lancelot as Suzaku got out of the cockpit. She could tell he was angry.

_'Suzaku...'_ Euphemia thought.

"It makes sense, he's an Eleven after all." A male noble said.

"Yeah, it looked too good to be true."

"He let them get away because they're his own kind."

Euphemia tried to restrain her emotions. She wanted to defend Suzaku, but doing so would probably attract some sort of negative result. A thought quickly emerged in her head.

"Everyone, I believe you all wished to know who is or is yet to be my knight." Euphemia said, gaining the attention of the crowd. "Look no further but to the man you see before you. Suzaku Kururugi and his cohort, the pilot of the Lancelot Club, Rai Hodges."

The crowd now sounded stunned and taken back by what she said. Nonette was surprised.

_'Now when did that idea pop in your head Euphie?'_ Nonette thought, _'I should tell Nelly about this, but knowing her... oh what's the point? She'll know anyway. I just hope she doesn't try to kill the poor boys.'_

* * *

_**Rendezvous Point**_

Rei got out of the Byakuen. Neha was waiting in front of him.

"So, how did the Super Electromagnetic Accelerator Cannon work out?" Neha asked.

"It's a very powerful weapon. I bet I could blow up a bunker with it." Rei said, "Though it's power could prove dangerous to use repeatedly."

"It was designed optimally for long range combat. It's supposed to be something like a sniper rifle. Mid range is fine, but I wouldn't recommend firing it at close range. There are a lot of dangers involved in doing that." Neha said, "I got some data from it thanks to you, but I'm going to need more data before I can run any upgrades on the Variable Super Electromagnetic Barrel Device. Not only that, but I'll also need data on the Gefjun Breaker so I could devise a way to contain the Gefjun field so that the Byakuen isn't caught up in the field and loses power."

"Oh! I think the Byakuen's data banks might have it on there." Rei said.

"Great! Thanks! I knew I could count you!" Neha said.

She gave him a peck on the cheek. Rei looked flustered from the peck.

"Now let's get to work on getting the data!" Neha said.

"R-Right!" Rei said as he shook his head out of it.

"Come on! Rakshata! We gotta get the data on the Byakuen! I can't wait to see the data the Byakuen has! This could change everything!" Neha said.

"I'll be right there in a second." Rakshata said, "I'm already trying to get all the data from all the data drives on the Guren and the Gekkas."

Rolo looked at Rei and Neha as they were going to look into the Byakuen's databanks.

'Big brother was amazing in combat...' Rolo thought, 'He did great with getting everyone to work together.'

Zero looked to Rei.

'Knocking off the Knight of Ten may have removed one obstacle away from defeating my father, but it won't be enough.' Lelouch thought, 'Besides, he was lucky when the others showed up. It won't be the same with the other Knights of the Round.'

Naoto looked at Rei.

"You know Kallen, it's a good thing we did find him." Naoto said.

"Why's that?" Kallen asked, turning to her brother. "I mean aside from him being a extremely great pilot and all."

"Well... he knows how to make connections with others, bind people together, and make sure that those bonds stay tight, even when he isn't actually doing it." Naoto said, "Not only did he make some new friends at school, some new allies within the Black Knights, and would you look at that. He's already got a girl hanging around him."

Kallen rolled her head and looked at her brother.

"Come on Naoto, really?" Kallen asked, "You know the only girl he's comfortable with is me."

"Yeah, but that's more of a platonic relationship than anything else." Naoto said. "To him, the Black Knights is the only family he has. The same goes for Ashford as well."

"Wait, are you saying he doesn't have a girlfriend?" Kallen asked.

"Of freaking course I am. I mean think about it. Have you ever wondered about starting a family of your own or something?" Naoto asked.

"C-Come on Naoto... isn't this a bit embarrassing?" Kallen asked.

"I just want the kid to have what's best for him." Naoto said, "If he doesn't have a girlfriend, then he's only got us. And if we all just disappear, he'll be all alone again. He'll be sad, he'll only have himself. I want him to be happy no matter what happens. It's the least he deserves."

* * *

_**Sky Temple**_

"Abandon Ragnarok?" VV asked, "After all we've been through, you just want to quit because we might just lose one Thought Elevator?"

"We can't afford to have any push backs with the Ragnarok Connection. If we lose Area 11, it's either we activate Ragnarok or abandon the Thought Elevator that's there." Charles said. "I hate the idea as well, but if we lose the Thought Elevator, we may never have the chance to reclaim it and commence the Ragnarok Connection as scheduled."

"Charles, you sent the Knight of Ten out there to hunt down that little bastard who thought he could just walk out on me and the Order, only for the Knight of Ten to bite the dust." VV said, "If we abandon Ragnarok, then all our progress, the sacrifices, everything that was built upon the piles of corpses of those who got in our way will all be for nothing. And I can understand that if there is so much as any significant pushbacks, we could be in serious jeopardy and Ragnarok will be lost. But we can't just fork over the damn thing to the Elevens. Not even for a second! You said it yourself, not one concession to those who oppose the Empire."

"I did say that, but only as a message, a warning. But sometimes, it is best to be rid of one useless pawn to spare us from losing everything than to sacrifice all the good pieces for nothing." Charles said, "For now, we can't afford to lose Ragnarok. Not now, not ever. Not until all the Thought Elevators have been properly connected."

"So until then, we just got to keep this situation under control." VV said.

"Yes..." Charles said.

* * *

_**The very next day...**_

Today was Suzaku's and Rai's ascension into knighthood. They were now wearing the clothes befitting of Knights, more specifically, a Knights of Honor for Princess Euphemia. They had been officially promoted up four whole ranks into the rank of Major. Nonette looked proudly at the boys

_'Congratulations you two. You've gotten up the ranks.' _Nonette thought,_ 'I just Nelly can look the other way and let it go...'_

Rumors were being muttered about all of this. Some going as far to suggest that the Princess had an affair of some sort with one of the Knights. But that wouldn't be true unless there was any evidence proving it to be true.

* * *

_**Ashford Academy**_

Lelouch watched in mild distaste.

'You only got that promotion because of Euphemia, Suzaku. Don't push it.' Lelouch thought, 'The last thing I want right now is the Black Knights killing you off because of how you 'repaid' them for rescuing you.'

"They are going to be Princess Euphemia's Knights? Seriously?" Rivalz asked, "No... they couldn't have... they wouldn't actually go there, would they? Have they stepped into the doors of heaven already?"

"I think you're over-analyzing this Rivalz." Milly said.

Nina didn't like the looks of this. She knew Rei liked the two of them as friends and now this happens. She wasn't sure how Rei was going to take it. Shirley looked worried as well.

Rei watched as the ceremony went on.

'I should be proud of them... but... they're my enemy...' Rei thought. 'Can I convince Suzaku to join us or is it too late?'

* * *

_**Black Knights Mobile HQ**_

Tamaki was howling curses and was kicking wildly while he was being held back by everyone else. Naoto looked at the TV as the ceremony went on.

'Ironic.' Naoto thought, 'You preach a change from within, but here you are...'

* * *

**Ceremonial grounds**

The Glaston Knights along with Durandal were watching.

_'The pieces are all lining up.'_ Durandal thought.

_'So that's Suzaku Kururugi and Rai Hodges...'_ Claudio thought.

The boys knelt down.

"Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi, Warrant Officer Rai Hodges, Wilt thou, upon this day, pledge thy fealty to Britannia, and stand as a Knight of the Crown?" Euphemia asked as she begins reciting the ceremonial words.

"Yes, your Highness."

"Does thou wish to abandon thy self, and be sword and shield for the sake of the greater good?"

"Yes, your Highness."

Kururugi unsheathes his sword and hands it off to Euphemia. She held it upright and gently taps both of his shoulders with the tip of the blade.

"I, Euphemia li Britannia, do hereby dub thee Knight of Honor Suzaku Kururugi," Euphemia said before handing the sword back to Suzaku as Rai drew his.

She took the sword, held it upright, and gently tapped Rai's shoulders with the tip.

"And do hereby dub thee, Knight of Honor Rai Hodges," Euphemia said. "May your courage and devotion become a shining example to the people of the Empire."

She hands back Rai's sword. The two sheathed their swords back to their scabbards. She rose her hand and the two stand proudly. They turned to the audience, expecting a round of applause. However, there was nothing but silence.

**CLAP... CLAP... CLAP...**

The crowd looks to Durandal, who is slowly clapping, hiding a smug smirk on his face. Nonette begins to clap. Then Claudio joins in. The rest of his brothers began to clap. The crowd began to give the two a round of applause.

"Well buddy, we're here now." Rai said.

"Yeah... we're finally going up the ranks." Suzaku said, 'I'm sure that with this, there should be a change within the populous.'

* * *

_**Ashford Academy**_

A celebration was being thrown in the school for Suzaku and Rai's ascension to knighthood. There was bottles of champagne, cake, and a whole bunch of other things. Suzaku and Rai were a little bit embarrassed.

"Well... this is certainly something, ain't it?" Rai asked.

"Yeah... I'm... I'm not used to this amount of attention..." Suzaku said as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Congratulations you two!" Rivalz said. "I must say, becoming Princess Euphemia's Knights must be really something! You guys are lucky alright!"

"L-Luck has nothing to do with anything,

Rivalz." Suzaku said. "It's more like it was her choice than it was luck."

"Even so, you guys are climbing the ranks!" Rivalz said.

Rei was watching from a distance.

"Brother..." Rolo said. "You don't have to look so depressed."

"I know... it's just... I want to be glad for them, but... we are their enemies and we will eventually kill them..." Rei said. "Suzaku worked real hard for this and yet... here I am, working with the Black Knights. I'm his enemy."

"I know how you feel, but..."

"But I guess you're right. I should look happy for them." Rei said as he smiled.

Rolo smiled at his brother.

Watching the two brothers was a girl of 17 years old with short blonde hair and blue eyes. Her hair was close to her nape and surrounded most of her head except the front.

Lloyd came in looking awfully cheery along with Cecile, Schnee, and Ledo. Milly noticed Lloyd coming in.

"My my, quite a party we have going in here, now do we, Millicent Ashford?" Lloyd asked.

"O-Oh! Lord Asplund, I didn't know you were coming here." Milly said.

"Hold on a second!" Rivalz said as he got in between the two. "Milly, Who is this?"

"That's Earl Lloyd Asplund." Milly said.

"EARL?!" Rivalz exclaimed before looking at Lloyd.

"You heard her~!" Lloyd said.

"W-Well forgive me your lordship, but how do you... know each other?" Rivalz asked.

"Um..."

"We're engaged you silly goose." Lloyd said.

That broke Rivalz heart into tiny pieces of glass.

"NOOOOOO!" Rivalz said as he collapsed onto the floor.

"Drama Queen!" Lloyd said.

Cecile smacked Lloyd in the back of his head.

"You hurt his feelings!" Cecile exclaimed.

"What? It's not like he actually—"

"Actually, he does..." Suzaku interjected.

"Oh... I see." Lloyd said. "Oh well, he'll just have to get used to it then."

"Lloyd!" Cecile said.

"What? From what I heard, Ashfords are in need of regaining their former glory." Lloyd said. "I'm sure he'll understand one way or the other."

"Are we being deployed somewhere?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, we got to escort Princess Euphemia to Shikine island to meet up with our patron, Prince Schneizel." Lloyd said. "And coming along with us is Lord Durandal."

"Lord Durandal is coming along with us?" Rai asked.

"Yes." Lloyd said.

Lelouch smiled as he had overheard the conversation.

'Excellent.' Lelouch thought. 'That gives me a splendid idea.'

* * *

_**Later...**_

_**Pacific Ocean**_

A submarine was moving across the Pacific Ocean. Out on top was Inoue, looking out from the deck. She kept her eyes peeled. Her shift was about to end, so she went back inside the submarine.

"To think they would give us a submarine of all things..." Minami said.

"You gotta hand it to India, they really know how to impress." Naoto said. "Man are the Chinese Federation going to be livid if they found out."

"Yeah..." Kallen said, looking a bit down.

"Hey sis, why the long face?" Naoto asked.

"Well... it's about those two." Kallen said.

"Those two? Wait, you mean your friends who suddenly joined us because Zero said so?" Naoto asked.

"To be honest, I don't think either of them belong with us... I mean, I'm not sure if they can handle actual combat..." Kallen said. "I mean, Nina is incredibly smart, so having her work with Rakshata would make sense. But then you have Shirley who isn't exactly a fighter..."

"I'm sure she can handle it." Naoto said.

Shirley was looking at a Type-01 Guren Mk1. It was a model that the Guren Mk2 was based off of along with the Byakuen. Unlike the Mk2, the Mk1 has two regular arms with the left arm holding a hand cannon. Unlike the Guren Mk2, the cockpit and chest plate was a grey color and the head was colored black and it had orange optics. Nonetheless, it's specs are relatively on the same level as the Guren Mk2. She looked at it in awe.

"So that's the Knightmare that was used to make the two other Knightmares that Rei and Kallen pilot?" Shirley asked Zero.

"Correct." Zero said. "However, the Byakuen's specs are superior to both the Mk2 and the Mk1. Its the only Knightmare Rei can pilot to its full potential."

"That's amazing..." Shirley said. "And all of this was made possible because of India?"

"That's correct. They have been vying for independence for quite some time." Zero said. "By helping Kyoto in building these Knightmare Frames, they've made quite a profit. Soon enough, they might even give the Chinese Federation something that can further bolster their forces."

"Wow... that's... that's amazing..." Shirley said.

"Yes, it certainly is." Zero said. "It's amazing what one country can do, even if it is under the control of another. Zilkhstan has managed to thwart an invasion with merely a handful of soldiers. India has made Knightmare Frames that surpass what Britannia makes. That is Britannia's weakness. It's own arrogance becomes its undoing."

"Wow... that's... Wow." Shirley said. "You certainly know a lot L—I mean Zero."

"How's Nina?" Zero asked.

"Nina? Well..."

* * *

_**Elsewhere**_

"Y-You've gone to the General Engineering University Of Berlin at age 15?!" Nina exclaimed.

"That's right." Neha said. "My talents in Knightmare Frame engineering have lead to some groundbreaking progress in the field of Knightmare Frame development."

"W-Wow... you must have wanted to put that all to the test..." Nina said.

"I guess you're right..." Neha said. "And to think the one who would put them to use would be a boy my age."

"Yeah... a devilishly handsome one~." Nina said.

"W-what?" Neha asked as her cheeks turned red.

"Ah! I mean, yeah... who could imagine?" Nina said as her cheeks flushed red. "So, what else are you working on?"

"Well, I'm trying to solve the conundrum with the Gefjun Breaker. It's becoming kind of a problem." Neha said.

"Gefjun Breaker?" Nina asked.

"You know how Knightmares use Sakuradite as a power source, yes? Well, the Gefjun Breaker releases a huge blast of energy that sends waves that quickly cancels out the properties of Sakuradite, disabling the Knightmare. Rakshata calls these waves Gefjun waves." Neha said. "However, the Byakuen isn't shielded from this, so it will shutdown immediately after the Breaker is activated. I'm hoping that if I can somehow contain the Gefjun field and maybe direct it, that would solve the issue."

An idea popped into Nina's head.

"I think I got an idea." Nina said.

She began to explain to Neha a theory that she has in mind that could control the Gefjun field.

"I see... if we build a device that can make and direct a Gefjun beam, that will solve the problem." Neha said.

"Yes." Nina said.

"How did you come up with that?" Neha asked.

"I'm like you, a prodigy in the field of science." Nina said. "Of course, I am trying to build a reactor that uses nuclear fission and Sakuradite..."

"Wait, nuclear fission? As in, splitting the atoms to generate huge amounts of energy?" Neha asked.

"Yes."

"Isn't that... I don't know... dangerous?" Neha asked.

"Yes, I'm wary of the dangers that are present in the idea of such a thing, but if I can do something that can change the world, then..." Nina said.

"Alright, I understand." Neha said.

"Th-thank you." Nina said. "So... how's Rei?"

"Well... he's been fine. He's shown good results out in the field." Neha said. "He has traits that would fit a commander and he has his own personal forces. I heard he just got himself a new recruit for his personal squadron."

"A new recruit?" Nina asked. "Who is it?"

"A girl by the name of Abigail Azalea." Neha said. "She's a Britannian, much like Mr Reid, your friend, and you."

"Abigail?"

"You know her?"

"Yeah... I do. She was in my class last year. She's kinda silent and distant with everyone." Nina said. "I never knew she would join the Black Knights. Then again, she's always been a mysterious person."

"Mysterious you say?" Neha asked.

"Yeah, she doesn't seem to talk to anyone." Nina said.

* * *

_**Elsewhere**_

Abigail got out of the Burai as Akihiro's Burai was knocked over. The boys couldn't help but look at her.

"Damn." Koji said.

"She's tough..." Shinji said.

"Yeah..." Rolo said.

"She's amazing..." Rei said.

Akihiro got out of his Burai, looking steamed.

"You blindsided me! What the hell!" Akihiro yelled.

"That's your fault, not mine." Abigail said.

"What was that you—?!"

"That's enough." Aya said. "Seems you made a nice choice, commander."

"Uh... Yeah..." Rei said. 'She's only 3 years older than me and she looks beautiful... almost like Kallen oneechan.'

She did look stunning. Aya beamed a glance of jealousy at Abigail.

"So it's official, she's one of us." Ren said.

"That's about it." Kai said. "Still, we got ourselves a hottie with us."

"She's out of your league." Koji said.

"No she ain't." Kai said.

Rei sensed a presence coming from Abigail.

_'This presence... is she...'_

"Commander," a female voice called.

Rei turned to see Kagari Savitri, an Indian-Japanese girl of 16 years of age. She had a bindi on her forehead. She wore a pair of glasses. She wore her Black Knights uniform over her crop top. Her hair was black and short. She was appointed as the White Flame's head maintenance for the White Infernal squad, Rei's personal squadron. Along with Kagari was Benio Akagi, another new addition to Rei's personal squad. She's a new recruit who has shown talent in piloting Knightmares. She had brown hair and brown eyes.

"Oh! Kagari! Benio! You're here!" Rei said.

"We just finished applying the magnetic coating onto your Byakuen, you shouldn't have a problem piloting it." Kagari said. "As for the other weapons that Kyoto sent to us, we have them equipped onto the designated Knightmares."

"Wait, does that mean my—!"

"Yes, your... "Mince Makers" have been equipped, Captain Akihiro." Kagari said.

"Oh yeah!" Akihiro said. "I've been waiting to use that bad boy!"

"About time we got us some upgrades!" Koji said. "Can't wait to try out that Linear Sniper Cannon!"

"My Dual Blades..." Aya said.

"My own Pile Bunker..." Rolo said.

"Yes, they've all been equipped as per the commander's orders. But do make sure they come back intact." Kagari said.

"They will." Rei said.

"I hope so, for the better." Kagari said.

* * *

_**Elsewhere on the Ship**_

Renya looked at his cursed arm. He remembered killing many foes with this very arm that was cursed. He knew that even the Code would not rid him of the arm, but merely just give him a means to control it. Thanks to his immortality, he doesn't need to feast upon the life energy of others anymore. He could easily obtain energy from eating. He was wearing the uniform of the Black Knights. This Zero... he seemingly allowed him to enter his army. The man reminded him of the daimyo he knew of back in the 18th century when he was still young. Not only that, it seems the man was worth trusting, even though he hides his face.

Thinking back, he couldn't help but remember a name that popped into his head.

Claire

Claire li Britannia, the Princess he indubitably fell for. Back when she simply went by the name Carla, just to hide from the Jesuits that had ordered her return as she was the true heir to the throne at the time. Now in the present, the only descendants who bear the name li Britannia were Cornelia li Britannia and Euphemia li Britannia. Though the woman he knew passed away in the sands of time, he promised her that he will live for her sake, to make sure that there is everlasting peace and nothing more. Until that day comes, he will live until he is no longer needed and hand the code to someone who can ensure that there is world peace for when he is gone.

* * *

Edit July 30, 2020: Turns out I got Benio's appearance all wrong. Her hair and eyes were both brown. I cannot believe I missed that. Oh well, the minor contradiction has been corrected.


	31. Chapter 30: Shikine Ambush

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution **

**Chapter 30: Shikine Ambush**

Zero had brought the Black Knights as he was now about to go over the restructuring of the Black Knights. Rei was obviously made the commander of his personal troops, the White Flames. Ohgi was named the Second-in-Command. At first, he felt as though he wasn't worthy of the rank, but after some encouragement, he stuck with the job. Todoh was appointed the Black Knights' Chief in Military Affairs with Katase acting as Todoh's Deputy Chief in Military Affairs. Todoh's talent in strategy and Katase's experience in the Second Pacific War would further bolster the effectiveness of the Black Knights' tactical capabilities. Kallen and Naoto were put in charge of the Zero Squad, Zero's personal force. Ganabati was appointed as the head of maintenance. Rakshata was appointed as the head in Research and Development. Diethard was made the Chief Intelligence Commissioner, though some questioned the decision, but it wasn't relevant.

Asahina was made captain of the First Squad. Senba was made captain of the Second Squad. Urabe was made captain of the Third Squad. Chiba was made captain of the Fourth Squad. Tamaki was made captain of the Second Special Forces. Renya and CC were not given any role in the newly reorganized Black Knights.

* * *

Elsewhere in the submarine, Rei had a device on his head. It was recording Rei's brainwaves. Nina and Neha were looking at the readings they were getting.

_'So these are the brainwaves of an Overman... it's impressive...'_ Nina thought. "Say, why exactly are we doing this?"

"To study the abilities of an Overman." Neha said. "Overmen are the next phase in human evolution, so it would only make sense for us to research into the Overman phenomenon and try to understand it and apply it to several fields."

"Wow..."

Rei sat back and relaxed.

_'Study my abilities... much like my father would have done if he were alive right now...'_ Rei thought.

He felt a familiar feeling coming to him.

* * *

**_7 years ago..._**

A young Rei was sitting in a chair with a device on his head as his father was running a program to test Rei's abilities. There were ESP cards that were shuffled a lot. His father started a timer in which his son quickly began to flip up the cards in the order he was given. He got all the cards in record time.

_"Why... that's... it was only five seconds and you aced it!"_ Rei's father said. _"Brilliant son! Brilliant! Soon, you'll be doing humanity a great service! Think about it! You'd be heralding the future for all of mankind!"_

_"Really papa?!"_ Rei asked.

_"Yes, my son."_ His father said.

_"So how did it go?"_ Rei's mother asked as she came in.

_"It was fantastic! Our son! He's—! Well—! He's amazing! He managed to get all the cards in the order I gave him in only five seconds!"_ His father said.

_"Did he now?"_

_"Yes! Oh he's going to have such a wonderful future ahead of him!"_

* * *

**_Present Day_**

_'A wonderful future...'_ He thought. _'Is it still there? Can I reach for it?'_

"Um... Rei? Your brain waves were fluctuating... was there something on your mind?" Neha asked.

"I... I remember being in a chair with something like this on my head. It was 7 years ago, though, more like a month before the war happened I mean." Rei said. "My father was a scientist and well... he said I'd be bringing the future to mankind. Well, something like that."

"Really now?"

"Yes, but... but then my parents were lost in the war."

"O-Oh... I didn't—"

"No. It's ok to be curious." Rei said. "You just got to be careful."

* * *

**HMS Glaston**

A Britannian destroyer was making its way to Shinkine Island. Durandal was looking at his Grail. Rachel handed him the experimental VARIS rifle. He smirked.

_'My my... I didn't think he'd be so useful for my plans.'_ Durandal thought. _'The Emperor must be wary of the Black Knights by now. It's no wonder he would send Schneizel all the way out here.'_

Schneizel el Britannia, second prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia. A master politician, a master tactician, an expert in outwitting even the most formidable opponents and finding the best solution for an insurmountable task, a scholar with tons of knowledge and the Prime Minister of Britannia. One of the Imperial Family's most finest children. Someone worthy to succeed Charles had he been born as the 1st Prince of Britannia instead of Odysseus eu Britannia, who was nothing more but a disappointment to his father. If Cornelia was the warrior of the Royal Family, then Schneizel was the strategist of the Royal Family.

_'He still doesn't suspect a thing about me.'_ Durandal thought. _'If he's gone, then that makes things so much easier for me.'_

But then a thought came to him. He grinned.

_'Even better...'_

* * *

**Black Knights Submarine**

"The goal of this operation is to capture Suzaku Kururugi and, if possible, the Lancelot along with its developer." Zero said.

"Oh ho? The Earl Of Pudding **AND** his sparkling toy~? You shouldn't have~." Rakshata said with a delightful smile. "I always wanted to mess around with Lloyd's little toy."

"I can understand capturing the Lancelot and the one who created it, but I don't see a good reason why we should capture that traitor." Chiba said.

"On the contrary, we'd be yanking away the only person who could fight against Kallen and I." Naoto said. "That and the kid won't have to turn him into a donut, so to speak."

"That and Britannia wouldn't have the one thing they needed to make better Knightmares, let alone make a mass production model." Urabe said.

"And besides, I've been wanting to hit that good-for-nothing traitor for pretty much everything!" Tamaki said. "We save his ass and he's been fighting for the Brits all along!"

"Easy Tamaki. We can't just mercilessly beat him senseless after we capture him." Ohgi said.

"And we might be able to convince our little white knight to go pitch black." Naoto said. "Though convincing him to do that is gonna be tricky."

"I guess..." Rei said. "So what do we do when we get there?"

"We'll attack the base on Shinkine Island so we can grab their attention. Hopefully, the Lancelot will show itself." Zero said. "Rei, you will attack the enemy ship and cut off their only way out and deal with Durandal while your White Flames capture the man responsible for creating the Lancelot."

"Let me guess, he's going to swim over like he did in Yokosuka?" Naoto asked.

"Correct."

"Well kid, time to get your feet wet." Naoto said. "Just be a little bit careful, Alright?"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

**Shikine Island**

The ship had docked at the bay and the cargo was unloaded. A jeep with some men from the base came to greet them.

"So is it safe to assume the ship will be waiting here?" Euphemia asked.

"Why of course your highness." A soldier said. "We'll... Wait... hold on..."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Rai said.

Durandal was in his Grail, he wasn't coming out.

_'He's here. I know it.'_ Durandal thought.

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

The base was being assaulted by the Black Knights. Lieutenant Colonel Fayer was completely confused by this sudden attack. A Sutherland was cut down by Todoh with his new Brake Sword before the Black Knights began to swarm the place. He saw a VTOL and fired a slash harken from his sword's pommel. The VTOL was hit and it came crashing down. The jet boosters on the sword pushed the Gekka into battle. Zero watched as the battle went on.

_'Now I see how you managed to win without a single Knightmare Frame...'_ Lelouch thought. _'Now then Euphie... send your white knight out to face me...'_

* * *

**Back to the ship...**

"The base is under attack." The soldier said.

"Can you arrange an escort?" Cecile asked.

"No. Not at this time. It's too dangerous since there's a jamming frequency on all our channels." The soldier said.

"Alright, then, I guess we got to handle this one ourselves." Rai said. "Ain't I right, buddy?"

"Yes, guess we'll have to provide backup." Suzaku said. "Allow us to head out your highness."

"This is the Black Knights we're dealing with! How can we—"

"Ahem! Royalty here!" Lloyd said.

"Uh... then again... we could appreciate the help..." the soldier said with an immediate change of heart.

"I shall stay here and guard the princess, the rest of you move out." Durandal said. "Deal with the enemy as you wish, but exercise caution."

"We shall!" Rai said.

The ASEEC corps was beginning to mobilize. Durandal watched as they were getting ready.

_'Any moment now...'_ Durandal thought.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Rei was in the Byakuen that was changed to its underwater battle type. He was wearing a special visor over his face. The visor was shaped like a Geass sigil.

_'That guy I saw back in Ashford... is he the one?'_ Rei thought.

* * *

**Shikine Island Base**

A Sutherland was shooting at the Guren. The Guren dodged the incoming bullets and grabbed the Sutherland's head. The radiant wave surger activated and made the Sutherland bubble up before it exploded. The Pre-Gekka slashed a Sutherland down before gunning another one down.

"These guys just don't stand a chance." Naoto said.

Shirley shot a Sutherland with the Guren Mk1's hand cannon, blasting a leg right off the Sutherland, forcing its pilot to eject. She was doing her best to keep her cool. She was a part of the Zero Squad, so she had to keep calm and do her best. Another Sutherland was coming at her. She moved out of the way a burst of bullets and decapitated the Sutherland with her fork knife. The Sutherland fell down and the pilot ejected. She breathed in and out, trying to stay calm amid the chaotic battlefield.

_'I... I can do it... I just have to... I have to stay calm...'_ Shirley thought. _'I have to be brave for Lulu... I have to be there for him when he needs me the most!'_

"I'll finish him off!" Tamaki said as he was about to gun down a Sutherland.

A bullet blasts the head of his Burai off, forcing Tamaki to eject.

"Damnit! Every single time!" Tamaki said.

The Lancelots and the Sutherlands arrived.

"So... how exactly are we going to fight them exactly?" Ledo asked. "I count at least... a lot of them."

"Good estimate." Rai said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up." Ledo said.

"Well... we can't split them among the four of us..." Schnee said, trying to think of something.

Todoh's Gekka jumped in with the Brake Sword and swung it down. The boosters activated and the sword came down quickly. The Lancelot backed away from the Gekka as the others backed away.

"Surround them! Force the Lancelot into the designated area!" Todoh ordered.

"Wilco!" The Four Holy Swords replied as they surrounded the Club and the Sutherlands.

"Damn!" Suzaku cursed.

Todoh swung the sword. The Lancelot blocked the sword with an MVS.

"Your fight is with me!" Todoh said.

"That voice—! Master Todoh?!" Suzaku said. "So it's just as I thought, it is you!"

"You haven't changed one bit. It seems my teachings have done you well." Todoh said. "But you lack any REAL combat experience!"

The two clashed and Todoh pushed the Lancelot away from the others. The Four Holy Swords attacked the Club and the two Sutherlands. Ledo brought the bayonet out and blocked a sword strike.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid you guys have to go through us first." Asahina said.

The Lancelot dodged a few sword strikes from Todoh and backed away from him. Suzaku pulled out the VARIS.

"Not so fast!" Todoh exclaimed.

He quickly moved to the side with the jet boosters on the sword and dodged a shot from the VARIS before redirecting himself towards the Lancelot. The Gekka slammed into the Lancelot, pushing it back. Suzaku regained his footing.

"Is that all you got?" Suzaku asked.

"No... but I'll be glad to show you more!" Todoh said.

* * *

**Back with the ship...**

The ship was hit right in the ammunition storage room and exploded. Durandal turned around and saw the Byakuen jump out of the water.

"There you are!" Durandal said.

He sensed danger and turned to his right to see Akihiro charging in with two drills spinning up with ammunition linked up to the drills.

"Got ya!" Akihiro exclaimed.

Durandal backed off and dodged the drills. Akihiro aimed at the Lancelot Grail and started shooting bullets from the drills that had gun barrels on them. The Grail dodged the incoming bullets. The White Flames came in and surrounded Euphemia.

"But how did they know we were here?!" Cecile asked.

"How am I supposed to know?!" Lloyd asked.

Renya came out of the woods and attacked the soldiers guarding Euphemia, slicing their throats off in an instant and shot his grotesque arm at another soldier. The arm began to drain the life out the soldier, turning him into nothing but a hollowed corpse. He tossed the body to the side and looked directly at Lloyd, who looked almost baffled by what happened to that soldier.

_'What the hell is that arm?! It just extended like it was rubber and slowly drained the hell out of that man's life!'_ Lloyd thought.

Cecile drew her gun, but Renya was quick to disarm her. He grabbed her by the head and slammed her into the ground. He leaves the woman completely unconscious.

"Wait! You don't want to drain my life! I'm not as young as I used to be!" Lloyd said.

Renya was silent. Euphemia tried to stop Renya, but he was quick to back hand her. He looked at her eyes and saw the image of Claire in his head. Lloyd pulled a gun off of Cecile and shot Renya in the head. Renya regenerated and looked at Lloyd. Lloyd looked at the gun and then back to Renya. He quickly got rid of the gun.

"I... I have made a terrible mistake..." Lloyd said. "Please don't hurt me."

Renya was quick to knock out Lloyd. The Princess was surrounded by the White Flames.

"Target secured. Moving to rendezvous." Renya said.

"So what do we do with her?" Aya asked, pointing to the Princess.

"Do as you wish." Renya said. "Just be careful with her."

"Alright then." Aya said. "Rolo, Benio and Abigail will guard the Princess. Akihiro, Koji, with me. The commander needs back up."

"Alright!" Akihiro said. "Let's roll!"

"Yeah..." Koji said. "Shinji, get the Type-7 Arm out along with that Barrel Device, commander's gonna need it."

"Right!" Shinji said as he went off to fetch the aforementioned arm and device.

The Yamato Trio went off to aid Rei as he and Durandal were fighting each other. The Princess could only do nothing due to her current predicament.

_'Suzaku... forgive me...'_ Euphemia thought.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Todoh pushed the Lancelot into a sandpit. Before Suzaku could get out, bullets came at him. He dodged the bullets and brought up the Blaze Luminous.

"Hold Fire! Surround him!" Todoh ordered.

Burai came out and surrounded the pit.

"A trap?" Suzaku pondered.

"Exactly." A familiar voice said.

Suzaku turned to see Zero's Burai behind him.

"Zero! You—!"

Rakshata pressed the button on the console, switching the Gefjun disturbers on. The Lancelot suddenly shuts down.

_'What?!'_ Suzaku thought. _'Have they actually replicated the technology that beetle head uses?'_

"As of this moment forward Suzaku Kururugi, you are a prisoner of war." Zero said. "We can negotiate right about now, or maybe I'll order my Black Knights to just shoot you now and I'll pretend you were just someone else."

_'Damn...'_ Suzaku thought. _'How did I not see this coming? I should have known better...'_

Rakshata smiled in glee. Neha and Nina looked at the Lancelot.

"Hm... the range still needs some tweaking..." Neha said.

"Well, at least it works, right?" Nina asked.

_'Oh I'm going to love reverse engineering all of Lloyd's progress.'_ Rakshata thought. _'I wonder how far I can effectively break him with his own toy...'_

* * *

**Elsewhere**

The Grail was evading incoming fire from the Byakuen. The Grail fires the VARIS at the Byakuen. The Byakuen evaded the incoming fire. Akihiro was firing at the Grail. Durandal jumped off the ground and fired his slash harkens. Akihiro dodged the slash harkens. The Grail came down and kicked the Burai with incredible force. Aya activated the dual saws on her Burai and swung her arms at the Grail. Durandal brought up a sword and coated it with Blaze Luminous to defend against the saw blades. He parried the blow and knocked the Burai back. A bullet came at him. Durandal barely dodged the projectile and fired at Koji. Koji evaded the incoming VARIS shots.

_'Four against one? That's not his style.'_ Durandal thought. "Don't you think this is a tad bit extreme?"

"Why should that matter?" Rei asked. "You're the enemy! I have to defeat my enemy no matter how I do it! If it ends the fighting, then that's how I'll do it!"

"Hmph, a childish notion." Durandal retorted.

He aimed at the Byakuen and fired the VARIS. Rei dodged the projectiles and fired his bazookas at the Grail. The Grail dodged the incoming rockets.

"Commander!" Shinji's voice could be heard in Rei's headset.

Shinji's Burai came out with the Type-7 arm. Rei jettisoned his arm and had Shinji attached the Type-7. The arm linked up and was fully operational. The White Flame command truck came with the Barrel Device. Rei picked it up from the truck and puts it on his back.

"Thank you." Rei said.

"Just doing our job." Kai said.

"Rei, the targets have been captured. Hold off Durandal until I give the order." Zero said.

"Right." Rei replies.

* * *

**Sandpit**

Suzaku got out of the Lancelot as Zero approached him with a gun in hand.

"If you want me to join you, then you can forget it." Suzaku said.

Lelouch stopped. He was surprised at how Suzaku responded.

_'So you figured I try to persuade you into joining the Black Knights...'_ Lelouch thought. _'But...'_

* * *

**Elsewhere**

Ledo and Schnee ejected from their Sutherlands as neither was incapable of fighting. Rai had to deal with the onslaught of the Four Holy Swords by himself.

_'Damn... if this goes on any longer... I'll be finished!'_ Rai thought.

"He's a tough bastard, I'll give him that." Urabe said.

"Yeah, he's definitely not like those grunts that hung around him." Asahina said.

* * *

**Pacific Ocean**

The BBAF-1001 Avalon, the first Aviation Floating Ship of its kind, using the prototype Float System that suspends high mass in mid air was heading to Shikine Island. In the bridge of the ship that was at the underbelly, Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia, Prime Minister of Britannia and known as the White Prince sat in the throne of the bridge. Alongside him was his aide, Kanon Maldini.

"What? At Shikine?" Schneizel asked.

"Yes, someone from the base managed to get through to us. Apparently, the Black Knights have attacked the base." Kanon said. "What should we do?"

"Well... it is a perplexing situation indeed." Schneizel admitted. "This situation leaves us with very few options."

"Should we destroy the Lancelot? Before it falls into enemy hands?" Kanon asked. "It's possible that the Black Knights intend on capturing Suzaku Kururugi and the Lancelot as well."

"Well that's one thing I've considered... although, the Hadron Cannon is still unfinished. Firing it now would be dangerous." Schneizel said. "As for that weapon we got from that report, we can't just fly in and save him, not while the White Jack could blow us out of the sky."

"You mean that accelerator cannon?"

"Yes... we must destroy it first, lest we be destroyed."

He picked up the phone and called the base.

"Y-Yes! Who is this?!" Fayer asked.

"Prince Schneizel." Schneizel said.

"P-Prince Schneizel?! F-Forgive me my lord! We—!"

"I understand the situation, has the Lancelot been captured?"

"We don't know! We haven't heard from the Special Envoy Corps!"

"I see..." Schneizel said. _'So... this is just how bad the situation has turned out...'_

* * *

**Shikine Island**

Rei fires the cannon at the Grail. Durandal dodged the incoming shells as Rei continued to fire at the Grail.

_'He's fast!'_ Rei thought.

_'He's getting better.'_ Durandal thought.

Akihiro shot at the Grail. The Grail dodged the incoming barrage of bullets. Akihiro was looking irritated.

"Damnit! Stand still!" Akihiro said.

"Face it man, we can't catch up with him." Koji said. "He's out of our league."

"DAMN!" Akihiro said as he stopped firing.

"All of you, fall back and regroup with the others! I'll handle Durandal on my own!" Rei said.

"But Rei—!"

"You heard him! Let him handle the Red Bastard." Akihiro said.

The Yamato kids retreat for the time being. The Byakuen pulls out its blade and shot a harken at the VARIS, knocking the gun out of the Grails' hand. The Grail inserts another sword into its free arm and coats it in Blaze Luminous. They clashed once again.

* * *

**Sandpit**

"Tell me, do you believe siding with Britannia will solve anything?" Zero asked.

Suzaku put some thought to the question.

"You say my methods only cause more suffering, but who do you think forced that suffering into existence in the first place?" Zero asked. "Britannia has always made people suffer both directly and indirectly. The first part is obvious. They trample over the weak and think they are superior to everyone else. The second part is what happens when they choose to ignore those who are still suffering."

"What?" Suzaku asked. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that how Britannia has treated the Japanese is the reason that the Black Knights and other resistance groups are challenging Britannia." Zero said. "And even if there is peace again in Area 11, people will still suffer because they are those who continue to ignore their suffering."

"Are you saying all of this could have been avoided if Britannia had done things differently? Is that your point?" Suzaku asked. "Where in the hell did you pull that argument out?"

"Ask my successor that question." Zero said. "He's awfully a lot like you."

"Like... me?" Suzaku asked.

"That's right." Zero said. "He too carries that sentiment you have concerning my methods. But at least he isn't a hypocrite like you."

"Hypocrite?!" Suzaku exclaimed. "How the hell am I—?!"

"Because you're a coward. He's not." Zero said.

"Me?! A coward?!" Suzaku said in anger.

"You know that being subservient will make no difference, yet you continue to be that way!" Zero said. "That's not making a change from within, that's just being a weak willed coward who would rather waste his life away!"

"Shut up!" Suzaku said.

"You want to make a change from within? Then you may as well get your hands dirty because no one will let you get the chance!" Zero said. "You can't just follow the rules and expect things to change! If you just accept things the way they are, then you're just a corpse pretending to be alive!"

"I said shut up!" Suzaku said. "You're wrong! Things will change! I'm sure of it!"

"Do you intend to let the people suffer any longer, even now?! That's not changing anything!" Zero said. "You never think about how the Britannians will try to shut out any attempts of reform! That arrogance will lead to more deaths!"

"**SHUT UP!**" Suzaku said. "Just shut up damnit! Just kill me already! I refuse to join your cause!"

"No." Zero said.

Suzaku looked at the masked man with surprise.

"What?"

"I'm not going to kill you." Zero said.

Suzaku was completely stumped by all of this. None of it made sense to him. He felt utterly lost by all of this. He wasn't sure what was going on anymore.

"Why? I'm your enemy..." Suzaku said.

"True that may be..." Zero said.

He reached for his mask. The mask came off. Suzaku's could only look in shock.

"... but that doesn't change the fact that we are friends." Lelouch said. "Aren't I right, Suzaku?"


	32. Chapter 31: Avalon

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution **

**Chapter 31: Avalon**

"Aren't I right, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku was speechless. He couldn't think straight. Any form of rational thought was slowly starting to decay like a rotten corpse. His best friend was standing front of him. The one thing he feared was now real.

Zero was Lelouch all along.

Suzaku couldn't help but feel his sanity beginning to peel away. He looked so distraught that 'distraught' would be an understatement.

"Well I'll be damned..." Todoh interrupted. "I never thought you were still alive. But here you are, standing in front of me. I guess you wanted to keep it all a secret up until now."

"Exactly the point, sensei." Lelouch said.

"You don't have to call me that anymore." Todoh said. "It's no longer needed."

"As you wish." Lelouch said. "If you want to leave, I won't—"

"That won't be necessary either. Besides, you still have your successor to worry about." Todoh said.

"I guess you're right about that too." Lelouch said.

"That and were stuck to each other like super glue... or cement." Naoto said.

"N-Naoto?" Ohgi asked. "You mean—"

"Yup. Guess we're stuck with him again." Naoto said. "Besides, he's got a sick trailer on top of a freaking army. Of course I won't stop you from leaving and—"

"And leave the kid on his own? Hell no!" Yoshida said. "We still owe the little guy for what he did for us!"

"Yeah, not to mention I suck at swimming." Sugiyama said.

"We're with you to the end." Minami said.

"Wouldn't be the same without you." Izumi said.

"Aw... you guys... you're killing me..." Naoto said. "Well, anyone else have any resignations?"

It was silent.

"Huh... guess that was a little bit obvious." Naoto said. "No ones quitting. Good..."

Suzaku got what was left of himself back together and looked at Lelouch with a face that has turned pale.

"Why?" Suzaku asked. "Just. Why?"

"Because this is the path I chose for myself." Lelouch said. "Besides, I'm doing this for Nunnally, for everyone else. I'm sorry things had to turn out this way for you. We can talk this out."

Suzaku didn't know what to do. Everything was beginning to collapse. He had gone through all of this just so his best friend wouldn't have to set out on the path he declared to walk on. But it was all for nothing now. It meant absolutely nothing at this point. His best friend was his enemy. He fell onto his knees. He looked down at the sand.

The dam was about to break.

Tears began to fall into the sand. He began to sob.

"Damnit... damnit... why? Why does it have to be like this?" Suzaku asked. "I wanted to make a change from within so you wouldn't have to do all of this... and yet... and yet..."

"Suzaku... I understand why you'd do all of this, but it wasn't going to work anyway. You—"

"And then you just had to go and do it anyway." Suzaku interjected. "You had to cause all of this trouble, and for what? Because Nunnally wished for a better world? Or is it because your father?"

He didn't answer. He only looked in sympathy.

"You're willing to die just so you could make a better world, while I'm nothing but a goddamn coward... I want to die for what I've done and yet... death just ignores me..." Suzaku said.

Lelouch looked highly concerned. Suzaku was never one to have the thought of suicide. Not even for a slight second.

"Suzaku, I think you need to see a therapist." Lelouch said.

"A therapist? I'm afraid therapy isn't going to make the guilt go away." Suzaku said.

"What guilt? What could have you possibly done so bad that you'd literally had to kill yourself just to atone for it?" Lelouch asked. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure you would never kill someone, let alone your own father!"

"But that's exactly what I did." Suzaku said.

"You... What?"

"I killed him. With my own two hands Lelouch... my own father... with my bare hands..." Suzaku said. "AND HE STILL HAUNTS ME!"

Suzaku was sobbing violently.

"I KILLED MY OWN FATHER! I DID IT! IN THE REASON ALL OF THIS HAPPENED! I KILLED MY OWN FATHER!" Suzaku cried. "I... I got angry and then... everything turned red and I... I... I killed him... I killed my own father... in cold blood..."

"Suzaku..." Lelouch said. "So it was all a lie..."

"Wait a second, why would he murder his own father?" Naoto asked.

"I overheard a conversation with him and his father." Todoh said. "Apparently, the Prime Minister was plotting to kill a certain Britannian Princess who was more of a political bargaining chip from Britannia who was sent to Japan just before the war started."

_'Nunnally? His father was—? Oh... no wonder Suzaku would... I never knew...'_ Lelouch thought.

"Inadvertently, that caused Suzaku to get emotional and then..."

"Damn..." Naoto said. "And here I was liking the cut of his jib... now that's gone..."

Lelouch looked at his broken Japanese friend. For so many years he kept this all a secret and now he just revealed all of this out of the blue. Was it the fact that he was Zero that drove Suzaku to these actions? He thought about using Geass, but not while everyone was looking. They'd be suspicious if they saw him use it.

"Suzaku, you can atone for it, but your death would only make things worse for a number of reasons I don't want to get into." Lelouch said.

"Why? Because you'd rather use me as some pawn?" Suzaku asked.

"No, because you're my friend and you need help." Lelouch said.

He puts the mask back on. He spotted Renya with an unconscious Lloyd.

_'He's the one...'_ Lelouch thought.

**BOOM!**

He turned his attention to the Byakuen, which was fighting the Grail. The Byakuen was kicked back by the Grail. The white Knightmare stood tall to its red adversary.

"Rei..." Zero said.

_'Rei? Rei is involved?'_ Suzaku thought.

Thoughts started to swirl in Suzaku. Assumptions began to rise.

"So... Rei's involved in all of this, isn't he?" Suzaku asked.

Lelouch turned back to his friend. Suzaku had a cold look on his face.

"You... you... you brought him into this?" Suzaku asked.

"I had no choice in the matter. He—"

"He had to witness a lot of bloodshed, and you... you..." Suzaku said.

His hands balled into fists. He looked crossed. His tone began to turn somber.

"Listen to me! He made the choice himself! I had no part in it!" Lelouch said.

Without so much as a second of hesitation, Suzaku quickly snagged the gun from Lelouch and pressed it against his head.

"YOU BASTARD!" Suzaku said.

_'Damn! Has he lost it?!'_ Lelouch thought.

"Son of a—!"

"No! We can't risk it!" Todoh said.

"Lelouch!" Kallen said.

"Forget it, we try anything and he'll pull the trigger. He's lost his damn mind." Naoto said.

* * *

Rei sensed a hostile intent from behind him and saw Suzaku holding Zero hostage.

_'No!'_ Rei thought.

His senses directed him back to the Grail a moment too late as the red Knightmare kicked him. He fell down. He got back up, but then the Knightmare struggled to maintain balance.

"The Knightmare's had it?" Rei asked. _'Damnit! Is it the sand? Or have I pushed the Byakuen too far?'_

_'Structural integrity is giving out?'_ Durandal thought. _'Thank god it hasn't happened to the Grail yet.'_

* * *

"Oh no." Neha said.

"What is it?" Nina asked.

"The Byakuen's had it. It can't take anymore of this punishment." Rakshata said. "It may look fine, but with all the internal damage the Byakuen has taken, anymore punishment like that and she'll be out of it for good."

"You mean the coating is holding up?" Nina asked.

"Yes, but the damage is getting closer to the red." Rakshata said. "And right when we have a hostage situation too."

* * *

"No one gets an inch closer! If anyone does, I'll blow his damn brains out!" Suzaku said.

"Damnit Suzaku, listen to yourself!" Lelouch said. "You said it yourself! The ends don't justify the means!"

"Well in this particular case, it **does**." Suzaku said.

"Damnit! What would Nunnally think if you pulled the trigger?! She wouldn't forgive you if you went through with this!" Lelouch said. "Hell, not even Euphie would—!"

"If you think I'd give a damn now, think again! I should have just shot you when I was ordered to back in Shinjuku instead hanging onto that stupid ideology that I had in my head all this time!" Suzaku said. "If I'd done that, we wouldn't be here right now!"

"Yeah, because we'd both be dead and Clovis would still be alive while millions die!" Lelouch said. _'Damn! How the hell can I get through to him?! Think Lelouch! Think!'_

"Sir! Incoming missiles!" A Black Knight reported.

"What?!" Todoh said.

On his screen were missiles coming in.

"Missiles incoming!" Todoh warned.

"And now there's this!" Naoto said. "Just flipping great!"

The Black Knights turn to the incoming missiles and fired bullets at them.

"Turn off the Gefjun Disturbers! I'm going in!" Kallen said.

Unexpectedly, Shirley jumped in while the Gefjun Disturbers were still active. Her Guren shuts down and falls over. Suzaku turned to the fallen Guren.

"I told you to stay back! All of you! Come any closer and I'll blow his head right off!" Suzaku said.

_'Damnit all to hell!'_ Lelouch thought.

He reached for the katana and pulled it out. He stabbed Suzaku in the abdomen, prompting Suzaku to release him. Lelouch punched Suzaku square in the face. He knocked the gun out of his hand and took the sword from Suzaku. In retaliation, Suzaku spin kicked the sword out of Lelouch's hand and roundhouse kicked Lelouch, knocking him down.

"Bastard... you're still bleeding and you kick me in the head?" Lelouch said. "Are you that crazy?"

"You stabbed me."

"You wouldn't let go!"

A bullet went into Suzaku's knee, forcing him onto one knee. He looked to see Shirley pointing a gun at him.

"So... dragged members of the Student Council in this as well?" Suzaku asked.

"We choose this for ourselves." Shirley said. "We had no choice."

"I guess love can drive a person away from any form of common sense." Suzaku said.

"No... Nina was there too." Shirley said. "After what happened on the port that night, we had no other choice. We were practically wanted criminals already after Nina had to shoot Cornelia just as she was about to kill Rei. We were practically wanted criminals for God's sake!"

"So that's it? You just joined the Black Knights because you're afraid that you'll be executed?!" Suzaku said. "You'd rather put the lives of everyone at Ashford at risk instead of turning yourselves in?! You'd even risk Nunnally?!"

"Either option would have led to the same outcome!" Shirley said.

The missiles were being shot down, one by one. As they were coming down, a floating giant metallic orange ship was hovering over the sandpit. Lloyd woke up and looked to see it.

"The Avalon?" Lloyd asked.

"You know what it is?" Renya asked.

"Uh... no?" Lloyd said.

The Black Knights couldn't help but look at the giant ship. Rakshata looked nettled.

"That bastard finished the Float unit before I finished the Air Glide..." Rakshata said.

"Please tell me that my eyes are deceiving me..." Neha said.

"Nope. That is definitely a flying airship..." Nina said.

"I think we need a bigger gun..." Ohgi said.

"And I know who has it." Naoto said. "Kid! Time to bust out the big gun!"

"No wait! It's too dangerous with the Byakuen in bad shape!" Neha said.

"No, Naoto-san is right." Rei said. "I have to do it! I have to take the shot!"

"Not while I am still here!" Durandal said.

Kallen got in between Durandal.

"Oh no! You and I have a score to settle!" Kallen said.

"Kallen Oneechan!" Rei said.

"Go! I'll hold him!" Kallen said.

He pulled out the barrel device and linked it up.

"Covering fire! Don't let the enemy shoot at him!" Todoh said.

The Black Knights fired at the ship, but then green energy tiles deflected the bullets.

"That energy shield!" Neha said.

"Well damn. They're using the original Blaze Luminous shield generator Lloyd made."

"Original?" Neha asked.

"Yes, it was the first of its kind. Long before the Lancelot's shield generators were built perhaps..." Rakshata said.

"Is that you Rakshata?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh shut it you." Rakshata said.

Rei took aim at the giant airship.

* * *

**Avalon**

Kanon saw the Jack with the giant rail gun aimed at the ship.

"Prince Schneizel! The Jack! It's using that weapon from that report!" Kanon said.

"Keep him distracted, I'll use the Gawain." Schneizel said.

"But the Hadron Cannon—!"

"I know, but it'll scare them off." Schneizel said. "Even if it does hit the Lancelot... it has to be done."

* * *

**Wreckage of the Glaston**

Rai took down the Burai. He turned to see a Burai come at him. It had a three finger claw on its right hand. It flipped over to reveal a drill in it. Inside the Burai was Benio. Rai evades the drill and cuts the Burai down, forcing Benio to eject.

"I'm sorry guys!" Benio said.

Rolo goes for the Club, but it ducked slashed his Burai, forcing him to eject.

"Forgive me big brother!" Rolo said.

"Damn! This is bad! We should retreat!" Kai said.

"I hate it when you're right!" Ren said. "Everyone, retreat!"

The White Flames retreated from the wreckage. Rai went over to Euphemia. He got out of the Club.

"What happened here?" Rai asked.

"It's Lloyd! They took Lloyd!" Cecile said.

"Lloyd?! Those bastards!" Rai said.

"And it's worse! They have Suzaku as well!" Cecile said.

"Son of a bitch!" Rai said. "I'm going to get him out!"

"Take me with you!" Euphie said.

"Are you crazy?!" Rai said.

"I'm ordering you!" Euphie said. "Now take me with you or I'll report this to my sister as insubordination!"

He wish he could dispute with her, but now wasn't the time for it. He groaned.

"Alright fine, hop in." Rai said as he opened the hatch.

* * *

**Sandpit**

Kallen held Durandal back while Rei was lining up the rail gun. Suzaku was holding the bleeding back as much as possible. The bottom hatch of the ship opened up. A gap in the Blaze Luminous appeared as Somersets flew out. They had the markings of a sun on them.

"Somersets! Shoot them down!" Todoh said. "Don't let any of them get a shot at the Byakuen!"

Some Burai went around the Byakuen and formed a defensive formation around it. They began firing at the Somersets as they began their strafing runs. Rei senses incredible danger coming from the bottom exit as the gap closed. A reddish-black light came forth. Rakshata looked with wide eyes.

"No... that can't be..." Rakshata said.

"What? What is it?" Nina asked.

"That's the Hadron Cannon, but they wouldn't dare... it's still incomplete..." Rakshata said. "Get down! It's going to get hectic from here!"

* * *

Durandal shot at the Guren Mk2 with the VARIS, only for the red machine to fire up its Radiant Wave Surger go catch the projectile and melt it.

"So it really does catch the shots..." Durandal said. "Seems like the Black Knights could use that as an energy shield like Blaze Luminous."

He puts the VARIS away and pulled his swords out. He looked to the bleeding Suzaku.

_'He'll be dead from blood loss at this rate.'_ Durandal thought. _'Better finish this up now before things get messy.'_

* * *

Lelouch saw the lights from where he was.

"Shirley, get back in the Guren Mk1, I'm turning the Gefjun Disturbers off!" Lelouch said. "I'll take the Lancelot! Get Suzaku out of here!"

Shirley hesitated for a second before she began rushing back to the Guren Mk1.

* * *

Rai managed to get past the Four Holy Swords to see the giant airship with Euphemia in the back.

"Brother's Avalon..." Euphie said.

"Oh damnit no!" Rai said. "That White Bastard can't be serious!"

Euphie saw the rail gun aimed at the ship.

"If he shoots, that ship won't last long!" Rai said.

The Pre-Gekka got in front of the Club.

"Oh not you again!" Rai said.

Rei pulled the trigger, firing the round from the rail gun. The recoil ran through the Knightmare and shook it to the core. The round slammed into the Blaze. The shell was impeded by the energy shield.

* * *

**Avalon**

"Your highness! It isn't safe! The shield could break at any minute!" Kanon said.

"And by then, it will be too late for the Jack to shoot the Avalon down." Schneizel said. "Now then..."

* * *

**Sandpit**

Black energy bolts came flying from all directions, hitting the sandpit tremendously. The Black Knights scattered. The Gekka grabbed the Byakuen and made a run for it.

At the same time, the shell punched through the shield and slammed into the ship. An explosion occurred.

"Brother!" Euphie cries as Rai got away from the chaos.

"Damnit!" Rai said.

* * *

**Avalon**

"Prince Schneizel!" Kanon said in horror as alarms blared.

"Sir! Fires have broken out in sectors 10 through 15! They're spreading fast!" A soldier said.

"Lock them down and put them out!" Kanon said. "Get damage control to check on the cargo bay!"

"Yes sir!" The soldier said.

In the Avalon's cargo bay, a giant black Knightmare frame was kneeling. The cargo bay doors closed. Inside the two seater cockpit was Schneizel in the front seat, who looked absolutely shocked. He opened the hatch and turned to the fire that was going on. The round did more than damage the cargo bay, it damaged the ship. Had that hit the reactor, the Avalon would have been turned to slag.

_'I underestimated the White Jack.'_ Schneizel thought. _'Looks like he'll have to be dealt with.'_

"My lord!" A worried Bartley exclaimed.

"Ah, Bartley. Did I trouble you?" Schneizel asked as he looked to the army general.

"What in the hell were you thinking my lord?! You would have been killed!" Bartley said. "Hasn't Britannia lost enough members of its Royal Family already?!"

"I'll take that as a yes." Schneizel said. "Tell Kanon I was just in the middle of a shock."

He looked to the blast hole made by the Byakuen.

_'The Black Knights... they must have someone who is as competent as Lloyd to create such a weapon...'_ Schneizel thought. _'And Zero... his goal must have been the Lancelot as well as Lloyd...'_

* * *

**_Later..._**

**Black Knights Submarine**

The Byakuen had been going under repairs after the battle had ended. Rei looked at the heavily damaged Byakuen. Durandal was still leagues ahead of him. But he was catching up with him. He saw Neha approach him. He looked to her with regret.

"Neha... I'm sorry about what happened to the Byakuen." Rei said. "I—"

"No. It's ok. The Knightmare has been through tougher scrapes, yes?" Neha said. "Thankfully, the damage hasn't gone into the red. Kagari and Ganabati are working overtime to have the Byakuen repaired along with the Knightmares of your Infernal Squad."

"Then the Byakuen will be able to fight?" Rei asked.

"Yes." Neha said. "The Byakuen will be able to fight again. But this time, it will be able to use a prototype add-on that Rakshata and I have been working on."

"A prototype?" Rei asked.

"Yes." Neha said. "That flying battleship we all saw? Rakshata says that the ship uses the Float system."

"Float system?" Rei asked.

"Yes, an atmospheric flotation device that uses electromagnetic principles to cause massive objects to, as the name suggests, float." Neha said. "Eventually, the use of such a device could change the face of aerial warfare with the use of Knightmares and airships like that one that attacked us."

"So this prototype is our own version of the Britannian's Float System?"

"More or less." Neha said. "Speaking of Britannian, you know Lloyd Asplund, correct?"

"The guy who is engaged to a friend of mine at school?" Rei asked.

"School? Wait, you go to school?" Neha asked. "How have you—"

"Generally, I'm surprised that no one in my class has caught onto me yet..." Rei said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Ok then..." Neha said. "What were we talking about?"

"Lloyd Asplund?"

"Oh yes, he and Rakshata have known each other back when they attended the Imperial Colchester Institute." Neha said. "Eventually, the two went their separate ways."

"So that explains the rivalry..." Rei said.

"No, I wouldn't call it that. More like a difference in ideologies." Neha said. "I... have a confession to make..."

Rei stopped for a second and tried to process that statement. She couldn't have... no, it was too early for that. But what if—? No, she wouldn't do anything horrible. She's too sweet for those things. Neha went in front of Rei.

"The thing is... I..." Neha struggled to get the words out. She sighed. "I was paraplegic when I was 10 years old."

Rei looked at her with visible confusion.

"But you're standing, even now—"

"I **was** paraplegic. **Was**." Neha said. "After I was caught up in a terrorist attack, my legs had to be amputated. I lost the ability to walk and all I had was a wheelchair."

"Then... your legs are actually—"

"Prosthetics. Made by Rakshata." Neha said. "She was studying cybernetics at the time and made these legs for me. Soon enough, I could walk again. Although they are a bit wobbly at times."

"Oh..." Rei said. "You know, there's this girl I know who is... paraplegic and blind."

"Paraplegic **AND** blind?" Neha asked.

"Her legs weren't amputated of course. It's just that they've been injured to the point where she can no longer walk." Rei said. "Her eyes remained closed due to a horrible incident that led to severe mental trauma..."

"Oh... are you two—"

"We're friends and all, but there are times where my heart acts strange whenever I'm around her..." Rei said. "It's strange that I some how attract girls who aren't normal at all..."

"Huh..." Neha said. "Well, good news is that we have both Kururugi and the Earl of Pudding. And now that we have the Lancelot, we can get to work on taking all of its data and understand its technology."

"And Zero... what about Zero?" Rei asked.

"Oh... we... we don't know. We never heard of him since." Neha said. "As soon as we opened the Lancelot, he was gone."

"What?" Rei asked.

* * *

**Prisoner Holding Cells**

Lloyd could only look up at the ceiling. His Lancelot was in the hands of Rakshata. It was bad enough that they had to drag him in here, but now they'll tear the Lancelot apart. His life's work is in the hands of the enemy. And if they ever understand how the technology works, the Empire will sure as hell have him executed. But it wasn't like he was loyal to Britannia to begin with. Britannia was nothing more but a nation. And a nation can't hunt for a man that is presumed dead. And besides, they have other people to develop advanced technologies for them.

He looked to Suzaku, who was stuck in here with him. He never saw him this... well, he could care less about Suzaku's emotions at this point. It didn't matter.

"So? Are you thinking of a way out of here or what?" Lloyd asked.

"Like we could anyway..." Suzaku said.

"Huh... you're right. We are in a submarine and I bet it hasn't been found thanks to Rakshata's Gefjun Disturbers." Lloyd said. "It's almost ingenious that the Gefjun waves, if set on a low enough frequency, can mask any vehicle or Knightmare from radar. The world's first stealth vehicle is a submarine. Then again, that's what they are built for after all."

"Say Lloyd, why do you think you want to live?"

Lloyd looked rather surprised at the question.

"No particular reason. Just being a man of science is all." Lloyd said. "What? Getting cynical about living are we?"

"I guess..." Suzaku said. "So Lloyd, did you ever kill your father?"

"Kill my own father? No, obviously not." Lloyd said. "He and I are men of science after all. There's no science in killing."

"Then why focus your research on a war machine?" Suzaku asked.

"Because war is the mother of science." Lloyd said. "Why? Did you hate your father that you gutted him like a carp?"

Suzaku didn't respond.

"No... lets just say I... I accidentally murdered him in pure rage..." Suzaku said. "And for that... all I want now is to die... to repent. Nothing more."

* * *

A/N**: **Sorry for not updating. I had college things to do. Leave a review after you've read a chapter. I would like some feedback.


	33. Chapter 32: Island of the Gods

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to CLAMP and Studio Sunrise. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**  


**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution**

**Chapter 32: Island of the Gods**

Lelouch woke up on the coast. He had no idea where he was. He could tell this was an island, but something about this land seemed... different. He scanned the coast. As he did, he found Euphemia, completely unconscious.

_'Euphemia?'_ Lelouch thought.

* * *

**_Over at Shikine Island..._**

Bartley looked completely distressed. Princess Euphemia was gone. She was just gone, along with the Club that she was riding on as well. The situation was truly dire indeed. Search parties were all over the island trying to find her. If Cornelia were to find out, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and she'll have his head or worse.

Cecile looked at the dried up bloodstains on the sand. It was confirmed. This was Suzaku's blood. He couldn't have died here, right? There's no way he could be dead, right? First Lloyd is captured, the Lancelot has been stolen, then Rai and the Club go missing, and now Princess Euphemia was gone too.

"He's a tough Knight. It will take more than blood loss to kill him." Durandal said. "I'm sure the Elevens said that Tokugawa Ieyasu managed to elude death, be it from divine intervention, dumb luck, or by his own sheer indomitable will. If such a man could evade death at every turn no matter how close Death comes, than so can he."

"I know... but... what if we do find and it's..."

"Hush now. You mustn't think those thoughts. They invite only weakness." Durandal said.

"But I can't be in denial forever." Cecile said. "Denying that he could possibly be dead would only make the pain much more bitter."

"Then have hope. Hope that he still lives." Durandal said.

He looked to the grounded Avalon. Kanon was outside the doors that had opened.

"I assume Lord Schneizel wishes to see me. Is that so?" Durandal asked.

"Yes." Kanon said.

"Good, I've wanted to talk to him." Durandal said. "I saw that the Jack tried to tackle the Avalon."

"That he most certainly did. We're just glad that the Gawain wasn't hit and that the Jack missed his mark." Kanon said. "But if that shot went down a few meters, he would have hit the Yggdrasil Drive reactor and the Avalon would be blown to bits and Britannia's prized aerial vessel would have been a smoldering wreckage."

"Damage report?" Durandal asked.

"We has to seal off some blocks and put out some fires. Nothing major." Kanon said.

"Good. It would be ashamed if that shot killed the ship that is Avalon." Durandal said. "King Arthur would surely be pissed if the island where his sword was once forged got blown to bits."

Kanon didn't laugh, not a single chuckle.

"Sorry, I forgot you were worried about his highness." Durandal said.

* * *

**_On the Submarine..._**

Rei was just outside Suzaku's cell. Lloyd didn't seem to care about Rei's presence. Suzaku merely looked away in shame. Rei felt shame coming from Suzaku. Especially feelings of regret, sadness, and encroaching despair.

"Suzaku... I'm sorry that things had to be like this." Rei said. "I never wanted to be your enemy. I never once wanted that. It's just that on the day of the Shinjuku incident, I—"

"Stop it. I don't deserve your kindness..." Suzaku said. "I already made it obvious to you that I killed my own father and made your life a living hell, just about as much as I did to anyone who did or didn't rise up against Britannia."

"Suzaku..." Rei said. "Listen, I know that killing someone is wrong and that can affect a person who has killed someone in battle. I know that feeling."

"And yet you didn't seem to hesitate in killing several other people." Suzaku said.

"And I tried to avoid killing people as well."

"Then what about Darlton?" Suzaku asked. "Did you even know that he had a family?"

"Huh?"

"The Glaston Knights. They are Andreas Darlton's sons, all adopted from an orphanage since his wife died of an illness." Lloyd said. "You killed their adoptive father who taught them well in the arts of warfare and they'll want you dead. Vengeance can drive people to going to any low to get back at the ones who wrong them."

"He... he had a family?" Rei asked.

This epiphany brought dread into his soul. Sure, he knew every soldier has a family, but he never thought that he'd kill a man who actually had kids waiting for him.

And seeing as how that man had a wife who died, the adoptive children of that man had to take care for themselves.

"And that wasn't the only horrible thing you did." Suzaku said. "There were wounded in G-1. The one you blew up on Narita."

Even more dread creeped in. Rei looked to his hands. They were shaking.

"I... I... I thought... no... I..." Rei stammered.

"The truth is that you murdered quite a few people who couldn't even get out of the G-1." Lloyd said. "And you call yourself a knight for justice, how ironic."

"I... I didn't know..." Rei said. "I just... I thought that..."

"Hell, I bet you're just fighting for Zero's praise." Lloyd said.

"No! It's not that!" Rei said. "I... I..."

He didn't understand. He felt conflicted. Tears began to well up. Rei choked on a few sobs.

"I didn't mean to make them feel pain... I didn't mean it... I..." Rei said. "Father... Mother... I... I don't know what to do..."

"You can forget about talking to your dead parents. They won't listen. They're up in heaven." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd." Suzaku cuts in.

"Oh don't try to act like Cecile right now." Lloyd said. "I already have her trying to make me be a little bit more sensitive to people's _feelings_ already."

"But these are his parents you're talking about." Suzaku criticizes his superior.

"So, what's a few dead Eleven—"

"My father was a Britannian..." Rei interjected. "He was a scientist and Britannia... they... they killed my father and my mother!"

That last bit caught Lloyd's attention.

"Father? Britannian? A scientist at that?" Lloyd asked. "Must have been on the wrong side then."

"As if it was about that..." Rei said. "All I know was that his name was Neilson Augus."

Lloyd quickly stood and looked at Rei with sudden a change in expression. He looked with his eyebrows raised.

"You... I get it now." Lloyd said out loud. "It all makes sense..."

"Huh?" Rei looked to Lloyd.

"I know him. I know that man. He used to work at the Imperial Colchester Institute as a professor in neurology, only to leave on the grounds of being... married." Lloyd said. "By god, he wasn't lying... you really **are** his son..."

Rei looked shocked.

"You... know my father?" Rei asked.

"Why of course I do. I met him myself." Lloyd said. "To think you are his son... I'm not sure how he'd react if he saw you working with the Black Knights..."

What Lloyd said might have gotten Rei back to his senses. He was beginning to think rationally now.

"Did he... did he tell you about the Overman Theory?" Rei asked.

"Well... yes, but I... I just regarded it as a theory and nothing more than—"

He stopped.

"Wait... what are you getting at?" Lloyd asked.

"Well... I... I'm an Overman." Rei said.

The irises in Lloyd's eyes shrunk. He looked in shock. Suzaku looked to Lloyd and then back to Rei. He was heavily confused by all of this.

"Suzaku, I think that theory is no a reality..." Lloyd said. "Do you know what this means now?"

"I... what... what the hell is going on? What the hell is he talking about?" Suzaku asked.

Lloyd looked good Suzaku.

"Have you ever heard of ESP?" Lloyd asked. "It is called the sixth sense, a sense that mankind has yet to touch. The ability to sense and feel from the human mind."

Lloyd looked to Rei.

"And he... he has obtained that ability. And with it, he has become a being that surpasses all humans." Lloyd said. "The Overmen are said to possess abilities that surpass mankind. And from what we've seen with our previous encounters with him, it is no wonder why Zero would have him as a student and a pilot of the White Beetle."

"To have the perfect soldier out in the field of battle..." Suzaku said.

"Exactly..." Lloyd said. "Overmen would make excellent soldiers. Maybe even better than the Knights of the Round."

"That's right." Rei said. "And because of that, they killed my parents."

Suzaku looked to Rei. Now he felt ashamed. Ashamed of himself for not knowing any of this. If he had known, he could have...

"Rei, I..."

"No... I know. There was nothing that could be done." Rei said. "I must go now. My friends... they need me."

He turned and left. Lloyd sat against the wall while Suzaku watched as Rei walked away.

As Rei walked away, he couldn't help but feel sorrow coming from Suzaku. He knew Suzaku wanted to make things better, but all of this made things more difficult for him. He knew what Suzaku wanted. He knew Suzaku wanted to die as a means to atone. He wished there was a way for him to convince Suzaku to join the Black Knights. He wish he knew of a way to do that. He suddenly sensed a powerful force. He looked around. Something was calling to him, and it was... it was coming from the southwest.

* * *

**_Meanwhile..._**

**On the Avalon**

Durandal looked at the Gawain. It was a prototype. A good one at that. A two seater Knightmare Frame for one commander and one pilot. While it was mighty, it was obviously incomplete for reasons that are obvious to him. The Hadron Cannon was incomplete and therefore impossible to control. The blooming effect of the hadrons causes the beams to scatter into blasts. Until that system was perfected, using it was a risky gamble. The prototype float unit integrated on the cockpit block has been tested and works just as much as the float system does in the Avalon.

He looked to Kanon.

"So, I'm assuming you brought it here for a heavily particular reason." Durandal said.

"Yes." Kanon said. "The Druid System onboard the Gawain was preprogrammed to investigate an ancient artifact that has become an object of great interest to Prince Schneizel. He believes that all of our recent and future conquests must be centered around this thing."

"So that means there must be more and that the Empire is trying to amass these things across the globe." Durandal said. "And if we find them all, then what?"

"Once we fully understand what they are and what they can do, then we'll know their purpose." Kanon said.

"I see..." Durandal said.

* * *

**_Back on the Island..._**

Euphie woke up and looked around. She had no idea where she was or what happened at all. All that she did know was that there was something off about this island. She began to look around. It seemed she was alone. There was no one on the rocks or behind the trees. She began to think back on a lot of things.

Among those things was Lelouch.

Lelouch...

That's right.

Zero was Lelouch.

He was alive. But now...

The mannerisms, the hatred for the Royal Family, his intellect, the compassion from his voice, the signs were there and this was the message they conveyed. Intentional or not, there was no doubt about it. Her half brother was alive all this time, hiding either in plain sight or in the shadows.

She understood why he had became this way. It was because of what happened to his mother and sister. He must be looking for revenge. That must be why he's doing all of this. It was to find the one responsible and kill that person so that his mother could rest. He was acting much like Cornelia. Then there was the war seven years ago. He must have been caught in the crossfire and, after seeing so much destruction, he sought to put an end to it all by fighting against Britannia.

She knew there was bloodshed in the ongoing war against the Eleven guerrilla groups, but what she had seen completely defied her expectations. She never thought war could have ever been this destructive. The White Beetle showed her the true ramifications of war. The sheer brutality, the deaths of so many lives, the sheer destruction left in its wake, all imprinted unto her through the White Beetle. Then there was that boy. He had to witness death at every corner and managed to survive the bloodshed that flooded Area 11. It furthered her resolve to bring peace to Area 11.

She heard pebbles falling from the rocks behind her and turned around.

As soon as she did, she saw Zero up on a cliff above her.

Just as he was about to reach for his gun however...

"Lelouch!" She called out.

He stopped so suddenly.

"Lelouch... I... I know it's you. Please, before you shoot me, before you take my life, let me those eyes of yours once more." Euphemia said. "All I ask is that you let me gaze into your eyes once more before you take my life."

No response. The masked man stood frozen before standing with less intensity. He took off his mask and there those violet eyes shined. That pitch black hair retained its length.

It was Lelouch. He was alive. All those years and he...

"So, what gave away my secret identity? Was it my fascination of the color black? My intellectual abilities?" Lelouch asked.

"No." Euphemia said as tears flowed from her eyes. "I guess it's because I know you more than anyone else..."

Lelouch merely chuckled.

"I really underestimated you, didn't I?" Lelouch asked.

* * *

**_Back on the Submarine..._**

**Command Room**

"Southwest?" Ohgi asked. "You mean there's something out from the southwest that's _calling_ to you?"

"Yeah..." Rei said. "It feels... incredibly powerful..."

"But there is literally nothing in that direction!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Not necessarily." Todoh said.

"What do you mean?" Diethard asked.

"Just before the war, there were strange reports of an island that was just discovered in the Izu Islands." Todoh said. "However, it wasn't made public when the war started."

"And how do you know this island exists?" Izumi asked.

"To be honest, I was the first one to hear of it. If whatever is calling to Rei is in that direction, then maybe the island does exist and that there is something on it that is calling to him." Todoh said. "That airship went in the direction Rei spoke of, so maybe we should go and investigate."

"Alright then, we head there. If we do find it, we'll have to send Rei out there since the Byakuen is the only underwater Knightmare we have." Ohgi said.

* * *

**_Back on the Island..._**

Kallen had restrained Rai and had a gun pointed at his head.

"Easy! Easy! Jesus christ Kallen! I wasn't looking!" Rai said.

"That's not the problem here." Kallen said. "You're in the military and I—"

"Oh come on! I would never sell you out! We're in the student council for gods sake! Now put it away before you blow my head!" Rai said. "Seriously! I have no idea how I got here, who brought me here, or even why would anyone bring anybody here!"

"Then how exactly did we end up in the same spot on this island then?" Kallen asked.

"I SAID I DON'T KNOW!" Rai yelled.

Kallen thought about this situation through. She didn't know how any of this could have occurred and Rai doesn't know anything either. She relented and kept Rai's arms tied up.

* * *

**_Elsewhere on the Island..._**

Lelouch and Euphie were sitting on the beach. Euphie had taken her dress off and had Lelouch's cloak around her.

"So... did Cornelia—"

"No. She wouldn't do it." Euphie said. "She admired lady Marianne, you already knew that, didn't you?"

Lelouch was surprised.

"I know it's been seven years, but figured that's the first question you'd ask if we actually met after seven years had passed." Euphie said. "I know you better than Cornelia does."

"Yes... that is... that is quite true indeed." Lelouch said. "Nunnally is at school in Ashford."

"Ashford? Oh, you mean Ashford Academy is where she is staying at?" Euphie asked.

"Yes, but not in the dorms." Lelouch said.

"Oh... that's nice." Euphie said. "You go to Ashford too, don't you?"

"Well I have to watch over her." Lelouch said. "Say... did Suzaku—"

"Oh my god!" Euphie gasped. "Is Suzaku okay?!"

"Yes, your boyfriend is alive." Lelouch said.

Euphie blushed upon hearing that.

"Oh... uh... wait, where did you get that—"

"Mentally on the other hand... he's going to need either months or years of therapy." Lelouch said. "At first I thought it was just him being stubborn for no reason but now... ugh..."

"Is this about his father?" Euphie asked.

"He killed his father." Lelouch said.

Euphie gasped.

"But... he—"

"Euphemia." Lelouch said. "When I was there with him, when I took my mask off in front of him, hoping that he'd join me upon recognizing me, I saw the side of him that he was hiding from everyone this entire time."

He turned to Euphie, who was still in shock.

"I'm not sure if I made it worse and odds are I may have broken him at a really bad time." Lelouch said. "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have taken off the mask in front of him. Him thinking that I long forgotten about my desire for vengeance was practically the only thing that might have been keeping him sane. But now... now that illusion is gone and for all I know, he may never be the same again."

"Lelouch... I... I'm sure he... I mean... I..." Euphie stammered. "Wait... what about the boy?"

"The boy? Oh... you mean Rei." Lelouch said. "I... I'm sure he's doing fine."

"You told me the Red Moon took him in, right?" Euphie asked.

"Yes, I did." Lelouch said.

"Then you know he's involved with the Black Knights." Euphie said.

"True, but—"

"Is he at school?" Euphie asked.

"Of course he is." Lelouch said. "Euphie, if there's something you're not telling me, I think now would be a good time to get it off your chest."

Euphemia was silent.

**SLAP!**

Lelouch was slapped without warning. He saw rage in Euphie's eyes. Those gentle eyes of hers were filled with rage. Never before had he seen such rage.

"Euphie?" Lelouch asked.

"So you want to know what has been on my chest? Fine! How's this then?!" Euphie exclaimed. "A child soldier in the Black Knights of all things! An orphan with nowhere left to go and he could have stayed with you if he wanted to, but not as a member of the Black Knights!"

"Euphie, listen to me—"

"NO!" Euphie snapped at him. "He is a child! A child! Just old enough to be Nunnally's age! He's been killing people, Lelouch! He almost killed me! He almost killed Suzaku and he almost killed my sister!"

"He lost a family. He wasn't going to be put through that all over again." Lelouch said. "He'd rather die than let everyone else die to protect him."

"Well, how do you explain that conversation he had with my sister then?" Euphemia asked.

"Stubbornness." Lelouch said.

"No, Lelouch. That's not it." Euphemia said. "HE DOESN'T LIKE FIGHTING YOU MORON!"

Lelouch looked shocked.

"What? No..."

"Lelouch, have you ever asked him what he truly liked?" Euphemia asked.

"But... he stayed with the Black Knights—"

"Because he wanted to spend time with **you**, a man who spends half his time planning strategies and thinking about politics and the other half caring about his sister! SOMETIMES **BOTH**!" Euphemia said. "And don't even pretend that there are others who could care for him."

"Euphie... I..."

"Lelouch, I honestly hope that my feelings are wrong and that you actually do care for him." Euphie said. "I really do. But if I'm proven right, I'm not sure what to think anymore."

Euphie turned and walked away. Lelouch stood there and watched her walk away.

* * *

**_Night..._**

The Avalon touched down on a clearing near a cave on an island that was near Shikine island. The soldiers were forming a perimeter around the Avalon while the Gawain was parked inside the cave with a Sutherland. There was an ancient structure left in this cave. It looked like a temple of some kind. Schneizel was amazed at the architecture.

"Hm... I wonder, are these really—?"

"Yes. Shortly after we took Area Eleven. We found that thing." Bartley said. "Whatever mysteries it holds, I believe that is why Britannia has been on these recent conquests."

"I see..." Schneizel said. "So he means to possess these structures. But for what purpose?"

"That I do not know." Bartley said.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone! Now then, onto things that you guys are probably thinking about.

**Euphie being a mom**

What can I say? She acts mother-like in ways we can see... throughout the story.

**Lloyd and Augus**

Lloyd needs to have someone he can respect (if he respected anyone).

And that's all I got. Stay tuned.


	34. Chapter 33: Rendezvous at Kanime Island

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to Studio Sunrise and CLAMP. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution**

**Chapter 33: Rendezvous at Kamine Island**

"Kamine Island?" Ohgi asked.

"Yes, the Island of the Gods. It's an old tale." Katase said. "Apparently, there were rumors that this island that was near Shikinejima was said to have been inhabited by godlike beings that mysteriously disappeared for reasons unknown."

"If the Britannians are indeed on that island, then maybe there's something that goes deeper than just the Sakuradite." Todoh said. "Maybe the Sakuradite was an excuse to actually locate the island and find out more about the rumors surrounding it."

"So you mean we're headed for an island that supposedly doesn't exist but might actually be there." Naoto said. "This is getting interesting."

"But who would be interested?" Ohgi asked.

"Probably Prince #3 knowns." Naoto said.

"Clovis? You mean he must have been looking for the island?" Ohgi asked.

"Thats one theory. Remember, he hid a lot of things in the dark." Naoto said. "Maybe this island is one of those things."

"If it does exist, would that mean—?"

"It's possible." Tohdoh said. "Whatever is on that island must be very important. So important in fact that the Emperor wouldn't want anyone else knowing about the significance of the island."

* * *

Euphemia was in the shade under a tree. She could only think about the poor boy who was dragged into all of this. She couldn't help but feel so helpless for him.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

"Sister, please, you... you can't... you mustn't kill him. He doesn't deserve to die. He's just a child who was dragged into all of this. You don't have to—"

"On the contrary, sister. I have every reason to kill him." Cornelia said coldly as she was doing maintenance on her rifle that she disassembled. "He's a menace. He's a terrorist, killed my knights, including a father to five adopted children, and gave me this scar to remember him by. And the worst part about it is that he's Zero's disciple."

"But he's still a child nonetheless!" Euphemia said.

She stopped for a brief moment. She scrubbed the barrel off and began to reassemble the rifle.

"Yes. A child who has learned to kill." Cornelia said. "A child in the midsts of a group of belligerent savages with little human decency."

Euphemia was getting more and more furious from her sister's words.

"Does revenge matter more to you than anything else?" Euphemia asked.

Cornelia stopped as she finished assembling it.

"What?" Cornelia muttered. "Are you doubting my judgement?"

"What happened to that calm and honorable rationale of yours? Where was it then when Zero confronted you?" Euphemia asked.

"This isn't about revenge." Cornelia said.

"Liar!" Euphemia said.

"This is for you and the future of Britannia!" Cornelia said, standing up with her rifle.

"Then let me talk to him!" Euphemia said.

"**NO**!" Cornelia snapped at her sister. "**NOOOOOOO**!"

She slammed her rifle into a display case holding a few golden replicas of a few Knightmares. Among them was a replica of the Ganymede, the birth mother of all Knightmare frames. She hesitated to look at Euphie. She turned and looked at her with fire in her eyes.

"I will not risk losing you so you can convince him to leave the Black Knights." Cornelia said. "The history of Britannia has shown that we do not give concessions unless we are given no other choice **but** to concede."

She puts her rifle down.

"When our ancestors were forced out of our ancestral home, we let those people take it from us. When Zilkhstan countered our invasion, we fell back and let them take a bite out of our own pride." Cornelia said. "Then Clovis was murdered just as he agreed to a ceasefire with Zero. Then we were beaten in Narita and we were forced to retreat after the Yokosuka disaster. But not this time. No."

She looked to Euphie with very stern eyes.

"The line must be drawn **here** and **now**! This far and no farther!" Cornelia said. "I'm sorry sister, but I'm afraid he must die if we are to put an end to this rebellion of theirs."

Euphie looked distraught. She turned away without saying anything and left through the door. She went back into her room and got onto her bed with tears in her eyes.

* * *

**_Present Day_**

She felt so helpless. She wished she could save him. And yet... she couldn't even convince her sister to let this grudge go. Then there was Suzaku. Does he know? If so...

* * *

The Byakuen was being fitted with a prototype of what appears to be a four winged back unit. The unit was attached to the back. Rei looked at the Byakuen.

"Is this..."

"The Air Glide System. It'll get you to the island." Neha said. "But be careful. The energy drain will be a pain to put up with until we get some data out of it."

"Energy drain?"

"Yes, the energy required to keep it running might chip off a portion of the operational time the Byakuen has, so for that reason, we are putting back-up energy fillers for you to use." Nina said. "If you see the island, radio off to us and land on the island."

"Got it." Rei said.

"Alright, she's ready to go." Ganabati said. "I had to change out some of the parts in the joints since they've been damaged beyond repair."

"I see..." Rei said. "I'll be more careful with the Byakuen."

"You better." Ganabati said.

Rei got in the cockpit and placed the key in before closing the cockpit. The head pops out and the eyes lit up. The Knightmare opened its wings. A pair of pink diamonds appeared and phased out as lights on the wings came on. The doors above opens to reveal the blue sky. The Byakuen's thrusters moves the Byakuen out of the sub before blasting it forward in the sky, flying off to the distance.

The doors close before the submarine begins to dive.

* * *

The Byakuen was flying in the sky right now. It was unreal. He hadn't actually done the simulator, but he was getting used to the controls very quick. Rei headed for the source of the feeling.

* * *

**_Back on the Sub..._**

"Incredible..." Nina said. "It's almost like a fighter jet..."

"Yes, almost like those aerial Knightmares we saw in Narita." Neha said. "Now if we could get the money to build an actual ship with this technology, provided it works, we wouldn't need this submarine."

Nina looked to Neha as she was looking at the readings she was getting from the Byakuen.

"Neha... I... I have a confession to make." Nina said. "Before Rei came into my life... I... I was a xenophobe and... I was afraid of leaving the settlement. But on that day on Lake Kawaguchi... changed **everything**."

Neha looked to Nina.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Neha asked.

Her face turned red.

"I knew it." Neha said.

"W-Well... when I found out he was... a half-blood, I wasn't sure what to think. But then he told me about the death of his parents, about how his dad, a Britannian scientist, being gunned down for trying to do what was best for his wife and son." Nina said. "They even killed his mother. I... I never saw what war was like until footage of the Shinjuku Incident got out. Ever since then, I wondered what it would be like if the roles had been reversed. Honestly, it frightens me to even think that millions of people went through that and that we Britannians never stopped to consider how frightening it would be if the roles were reversed."

Nina looked at Neha with bravery in her eyes.

"If it weren't for the people who took him in, he wouldn't be here. If it wasn't for Le—Zero, Rei wouldn't have a place to be in." Nina said. "He would have been all alone. He would have been nothing more but a soldier who wouldn't even value himself above others, who couldn't even be selfish for one minute of not literal seconds. He... he would have tossed his own emotions off to the side."

Neha never really knew that about Rei. An orphan forced to fight on the battlefield because he had nowhere else to go... He was no different from her. She was an orphan herself. They were both in the Black Knights for only one reason, to stop the pointless bloodshed created by Britannia.

"Of course, I think he might be in love with someone else..." Nina said.

"How would you know?" Neha asked.

"Nunnally." Nina said. "He's been out with her a few times and regularly, he comes to her place to fold origami with her. So I thought, 'maybe he loves her' and that 'he must have a reason for loving her,' and that has me wondering whether or not I should be jealous or happy for Nunnally."

Nina clutched her chest.

"To be honest, I want Nunnally and Rei to be happy... and yet... I'm not sure if that's what I truly want." Nina said as tears were coming from her eyes. "I..."

"Nina," Neha spoke. "I think I get it now. You're not sure if you want him to be happy with Nunnally or if you would rather want him to be happy with you. But let me tell you this: he cares about you too. It's possible he wants to be happy with both you and Nunnally."

"Neha... don't you have any romantic feelings for him?" Nina asked. "Don't you think that he might love you too? That he would want to be happy with you, me, and Nunnally?"

"Well... I do have romantic feelings for him, but..." Neha said. "To be frank with you, I'm not sure that he deserves me."

"What?" Nina asked.

"The only connection we have is the Byakuen, the Knightmare I designed for him." Neha said. "Even if we start having a serious relationship with one another, I'm not sure if it will work out."

"Neha, of all the nonsensical things I've ever heard in my entire life." Nina said. "How can you say something think like that?"

"Nina..."

"You may have been the designer of the Byakuen, but the Byakuen is what brought you and him together." Nina said. "Cherish those feelings you have for him. Just cherish them for as much as you want."

* * *

Lelouch saw something to the distance. Wait... this feeling... no it couldn't be... The figure came closer.

Then he saw it.

The glinting white armor. It was the Byakue! It was flying! Lelouch waved his arm out.

* * *

_'Lelouch!'_ Rei thought. "Serpent! I have found Zero! I repeat! I found him! He's on the island you guys talked about!"

"Alright kid!" Naoto said. "Now go find Kallen! She's gotta he somewhere!"

"I will!" Rei said.

The Byakuen made it for the shore. As Rei approached, he slowed down and had the Byakuen touch down. Rei opened the cockpit and jumped out. Rei hugged Lelouch and held onto him tightly.

"I knew it! I knew you would be here!" Rei said.

"Why's that?" Lelouch asked.

"I felt something coming from this island and... here you are." Rei said.

"Well I knew you wouldn't abandon me." Lelouch said. "What about the Black Knights? Did they—"

"All of them are accounted for except for Kallen." Rei said. "We also have the Lancelot as well."

"I see... so it all went as I planned it..." Lelouch said. "How **did** you find out I was here?"

"I felt it coming from this island!" Rei said.

"This island... yes... it all makes sense now." Lelouch said. "This island... something on this island made all of this possible..."

"Huh?"

"A more powerful force on this island must have done all of this." Lelouch said. "But that begs the question: why us?"

"You mean... something spirited you and Kallen away?" Rei asked.

"Yes, that's correct." Lelouch said. "Whatever it was, it knew you would come here, or maybe that's what they were hoping..."

_'Wait a minute...'_ Rei thought. _'Yes... the dream... Geass... Geass...'_

His eye began to glow red with the power of Geass.

"Rei?"

He snapped out of it and his eye stopped glowing.

"Y-Yes?" Rei asked.

"You spaced out there." Lelouch said. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah..." Rei said.

"Then we go find Kallen, grab her, and leave." Lelouch said.

He looked down and saw what appeared to be a dress. Wait a minute... that dress. He looked up and saw Euphie, only she had the cloak on. He put two and two together and his face turned red.

"Uh... Lelouch... you didn't..." Rei said.

"Huh?" Lelouch asked as he turned around.

He noticed Rei's face was red. Dread began to sink him.

_'Wait... he didn't...'_ Lelouch thought.

He looked to Euphie who was red in the face as well.

"No! That's not what we did!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah!" Euphie said. "I just—!"

"Then why are her clothes—?"

"Just turn away!" Lelouch said.

"R—Right!" Rei said as he did.

Euphie quickly got her clothes back on and gave Lelouch his cloak back. She breathed easy.

"Ok... now you can turn around." Euphie said.

Rei turned to Euphie, his face still red, and looked at her. It was totally different from when he first met her.

"Is that why Suzaku—"

"Is he alright?" Euphie asked.

"Yeah... but he's... he's become so... cold and bitter, mostly to himself..." Rei said.

"Oh... and Earl Asplund?"

"He's alright. Although... I don't like the way he treats things." Rei said. "But all he cares about is Knightmare Frames..."

"Well—"

"Rei, just go and find Kallen so we can get out of here." Lelouch said. "I'll watch Euphie."

He jumped into the Byakuen and started it up. The Byakuen moved on ahead. Lelouch looked to Euphie.

"How?" Euphie asked. "How come you managed to develop a prototype of your float system?"

"Oh no. It's not mine." Lelouch said. "It must be that Indian woman's handiwork."

"I see..." Euphie said. "I guess the Militarized Zone of India is getting chummy with the Black Knights..."

"That's one way of putting it." Lelouch said. "They want independence from the Chinese Federation. When they caught wind of the Japanese resistance movement, they saw an opportunity to benefit from it while having the movement itself benefit from the support of those opposed to Britannia."

"But must a literal war for independence always be the answer?" Euphie asked. "Does fighting really solve anything?"

Lelouch turned to Euphie.

"Euphie, you're not a child anymore. You're sixteen." Lelouch said. "And neither is Rei."

"But... isn't there always another way?" Euphie asked.

"There is no other way in this cruel world." Lelouch said. "Your pacifism won't help anyone, not even yourself. If you know something is wrong, but you don't have the guts to do what's necessary to change things, then you're a coward. And in this case, a coward patting himself on the back."

Euphie looked away from Lelouch.

_'Even so...' _Euphie thought before looking to Lelouch. "All I want, other than for everyone to be happy and at peace with one another, most importantly, I want us to be back together again. Like it was all those years ago."

"Euphie." Lelouch said. "Grow. Up."

"What?"

"The past will not do anything for you but act as a remainder about what to do now and for what comes next, not so you can revisit old memories." Lelouch said. "When our ancestors left the Old Homeland, they had to accept that it was gone. Just like how the Japanese has to accept that things have changed."

"Lelouch..."

"We have to accept things the way they are and try to find a way to change them for the future, not try to change them while looking to the past." Lelouch said.

"But I found something that I could do other than to kill people!" Euphie said. "The Special Administrated Zone plan. It establishes a perimeter from where Numbers will have the rights of ordinary citizens and will no longer have to live in fear without having to become Honorary Britannians."

"And establishes a puppet state government that Britannia can manipulate however it so damn pleases." Lelouch said. "So what if they get their rights back? What if they no longer have to live in the Ghettos anymore? So what if they no longer have to be Honorary Britannians? It wouldn't matter. It would still be the same as if they lived under the rule of the Britannians. What you're proposing is a complete insult to what they want. Peace is one thing, peace while being a slave is completely different matter."

"Why do you have to be so negative about things?!" Euphie exclaimed. "Why can't you at least be positive about something that won't lead to bloodshed?! Don't you care about Nunnally?!"

"I do care about her." Lelouch said. "But I don't long for a past out of reach. I long for a future that can be attained."

"A future covered in blood?" Euphie asked.

"A future where no more blood can be shed." Lelouch said. "If that means destroying Britannia, I'll do it. Nothing you say or do will change my mind."

"Then what about looking for Marianne's killer?!"

"Rei made me realize how pointless it would be." Lelouch said.

"Eh?"

"Yes..." Lelouch said. "That's the one thing you never understood about him. He made connections with others along his own journey. And through those connections, he got them to see something they either never once saw in their life or something that they had forgotten a long time ago."

"Lelouch..." Euphemia said.

"He made people see past their own faults and the faults of this world and gave them a glimpse at something else." Lelouch said. "He made others remember what they had forgotten for so long that they never once thought of remembering it until he showed them what it was that they had forgotten."

"I..."

"And in my case, he made me see that using others so I can get revenge would make me no different from my own father." Lelouch said. "And that Nunnally wasn't the only person I couldn't afford to lose. Not now. Not ever."

He turned away from her.

"Come on, if the Britannians are here as I suspected, they must be searching the island." Lelouch said.

"R-Right..." Euphie said.

* * *

**_With Kallen..._**

"So let me get this straight, you didn't know Zero was Lelouch the whole damn time and he didn't bother telling anyone?" Rai asked. "And even after all the crazy things you did for him, you're still going to fight for him?"

"Better than to let him fight on his own." Kallen said. "Besides... we cant turn back anyways. We leave him and Rei will have to take the mask of Zero... and that alone has its fair share of burdens."

"Oh yeah, sure. Letting a 14 year old boy be in command of an entire group of rebels who are fighting against a third of the world would be too much for him." Rai said. "But putting him in a literal killing machine is perfectly fine. It doesn't cross a single line whatsoever and is completely not affected by morality."

Kallen backhanded Rai.

"How the hell did you and Suzaku ever get along?" Kallen asked.

"At least I don't pretend to be sick all the damn time!" Rai said. "And more importantly, what the hell kind of cockpit is that? Did someone design it so you could have your ass hanging out in the cockpit?"

"Ever rode a motorcycle before? It totally beats sitting in a chair and holding a pair of control sticks around and doesn't give you back pain." Kallen said. "And at least I can see everything thats in front of me and what's off to the side without having to look at every different monitor all at once."

"My back is fine!" Rai said. "I just hate having my body tossed around and hitting my head on everything!"

The sounds of hydraulics could be heard off to the distance. The sound was getting closer. Out of the trees came the Byakuen.

_'Rei!'_ Kallen thought.

_'Shit...'_ Rai thought.

Kallen wasted no time in knocking him out. She took her bandana and got it back on and went over to the Knightmare. The Byakuen kneeled down and opened its cockpit hatch.

"Kallen Oneechan!" Rei said.

Kallen hugged Rei.

"Oh thank god you're alright!" Kallen said. "The others! Did they—!"

"They made it! And we even got the Guren out of there!"

"Oh thank god!" Kallen said. "What about Le—Zero?"

"He's ok too!" Rei said.

"And Suzaku, did we get him and the—"

"Uh-Huh!" Rei said.

"Phew... guess that means we did it." Kallen said. "Now let's get Zero and get off this island!"

"Yeah, but first..." Rei said.

He looked to the right, only to see the airship from before just below the cliff that they were on.

"Uh... Oneechan? I don't think it's going to be easy..." Rei said.

"Why do you say... that?" Kallen asked before looking to her left.

She saw the Britannian airship as well.

_'Oh goddamnit...'_ Kallen thought.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, im back. Today, I got to go to college for my biology class, so I'll be keeping this short.

**Cornelia doing a Picard**

To be honest, I had no idea where I was going with this one.

**The that bit with Nina and Neha**

They've been together for at least a few days and met and knew much about Rei before they actually met. The conversation had to happen.

And that's all I have. Later.


	35. Chapter 34: The Thought Elevator

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to Studio Sunrise and CLAMP. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution**

**Chapter 34: The Thought Elevator**

"Uh... Oneechan? I don't think it's going to be easy..." Rei said.

"Why do you say... that?" Kallen asked before looking to her left.

She saw the Britannian airship as well.

_'Oh goddamnit...'_ Kallen thought. "Now just how are going to get past that?"

"I don't know..." Rei said. "The Air Glide is still an experimental prototype..."

"Air Glide?" Kallen asked.

"Yeah, it can make the Byakuen fly." Rei said.

"Wait, if that's how you got here, why can't we just do that?" Kallen asked.

"Well... this is a prototype, so it might cause a power drain. For that reason, back up energy fillers were put on the Byakuen." Rei said. "I'm not even sure if they'll last as well."

"Damn..." Kallen said. "And if we get into a fight..."

"We'll be defenseless." A voice said.

Zero came out with Euphemia.

"Z-Zero! You're ok!" Kallen said.

"Of course I am. I've been through worse." Zero said.

Euphemia gasped at the sight of an unconscious Rai.

"Rai!" Euphemia said as she rushed over to the unconscious pilot.

Kallen pulled her sidearm out. Rei grabbed her hand.

"R-Rei?!" Kallen muttered.

"They'll hear the gunshot." Rei said.

"Besides, we have more pressing issues at hand." Zero said.

A red mark appeared over the floor. Rei's eye glows red. Zero froze for a moment. Rai was suddenly awoken. The three began to freeze up as though something seized them.

* * *

The altar gave off a red light. The symbol on the wall lit up with the same light. Mostly everyone was captivated by the light.

_'What is happening?'_ Schneizel thought.

The ceiling above the altar collapsed. The dust spreads out. As it cleared, Zero, a puzzled Euphemia, a shocked to death Rai, and a red haired Eleven and a white haired Eleven, along with the White Beetle itself stood before everyone. Soldiers came in and surrounded the whole group.

"Hold fire! You'll hit the Princess!" Bartley roared.

_'So that's Zero?'_ Schneizel thought. _'And that child...'_

"Get back! Don't go near me!" A panicked Rai yelled as he got away from Euphemia.

"Hm?!" Bartley grumbled.

"You know him?" Schneizel asked.

"Yes, we found him when he emerged from that stone wall in the altar." Bartley said.

"Could it have reacted to him?" Schneizel asked.

"Maybe it did..." Bartley said. "And that brat too... he's here as well..."

"So you and the White Beetle have met before." Schneizel said.

"Yes, shortly after this man came through, that boy did as well." Bartley said.

* * *

Kallen got off and pulled out her sidearm. The Byakuen suddenly moved and closed the hatch. It turned to the wall and placed its hand on it.

_'What the hell is he doing at a time like this?!'_ Kallen thought.

_'That symbol! That's the same as Geass!'_ Lelouch thought. _'Wait... is this some altar? If so... was it meant for people with Geass?'_

The wall lit up.

* * *

"NO! Let me go back!" Rai exclaimed as Euphemia pulled him back.

"What are you saying?!" Euphemia exclaimed.

"You don't get it! I'm a danger to everyone here! Don't you understand that?!" Rai said. "I've caused the slaughter of millions! Im a murder! A killer! I sent every last one of them to their deaths! Just let me go so I can atone for it!"

"Sir Hodges, I demand that you—!"

Rai slapped Euphemia across the face with the back of his hand. Euphemia looked at Rai and noticed that his eye had a blinking light. She recognized that glow. It was from when Rei's eye glowed.

_'Why does Rai have that glow?'_ Euphemia thought.

The glow became so intense that it was almost blinding. The light faded and... they were gone! Zero, that girl, and the boy just suddenly vanished! The soldiers approached. Rai immediately got away from the Princess. He still looked paranoid.

"Sir Hodges, I suggest you calm down." Schneizel said.

**"Answer me!"** Rai ordered.

A red sphere began to expand towards him. The soldiers instinctively got away from the sphere. It continues to expand until it touched Schneizel and collapsed. Euphie looked to her brother, who now had red rings on his eyes and an emotionless expression.

"Y-Your highness?" Bartley asked.

He waved his hand in front of Schneizel. Nothing happened. He was like a statue.

"Tell me, what is thing?" Rai asked.

"Well... I have come to the conclusion that this altar could in fact be some sort of... inter-dimensional gateway to some other world." Schneizel said.

"A gateway? To where?" Rai asked.

"That I do not know." Schneizel said.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rai asked. "How can you not now where it leads?"

He was silent.

"Talk!" He demanded.

"I do not have an explanation for that." Schneizel said.

"You—! Have you hypnotized his majesty?!" Bartley asked. "Undo it!"

"Be silent, you insolent cur!" Rai yelled.

Euphie was appalled by the sudden outburst.

"C-Cur?! We don't know a damn thing about you aside from the fact—!"

"I am a Prince of Britannia and I demand that you be silent or you will be silenced!" Rai said. "I... I am the son of Kairezen xi Britannia, son of Dagon von Britannia, and as such, you will obey my orders!"

"Have you gone mad?!" Bartley said. "Soldiers, seize him!"

The soldiers went over to him.

**"Obey my orders!"** Rai ordered.

Another red sphere expanded to the soldiers and engulfed them before collapsing. The soldiers stood still.

"Arrest that man!" Rai yelled.

Euphie smacked him across the head. The red circles around Schneizel's eyes faded. He shook his head. The soldiers shook their heads as well.

"Your highness, do you remember anything?" Kanon asked.

"I remember him yelling and then... that's it... everything else is blank." Schneizel said. "I... can't remember anything else beyond that. Kanon, when I my mind went blank, what was I doing?"

"You were answering some of his questions." Kanon said. "It was almost as if you were put under his control."

"Yes... and when it was severed, everything I experienced during that time period must have been possibly cordoned off by whatever influence he had over me..." Schneizel said. "What did I tell him while I was under his influence?"

"That this might be a gate to another dimension." Kanon said.

"Why yes... of course! The Black Knights! They must have gone into another dimension! It's a gateway to another dimension!" Schneizel said. "By god Kanon, what if this thing is actually more like a teleportation device?"

"A teleportation device?" Kanon asked. "But how do we even know how it works?"

"The Beetle had its hand on the wall and then there was that light, so that must be how it works." Schneizel said. "I think I know why father is so interested in these artifacts now..."

"But then how would they get out?" Kanon asked.

"That I do not know Kanon." Schneizel said. "This is a bizarre discovery..."

"What's even more bizarre is that Sir Hodges claimed to be the son of a man who was related to the grandfather of the Emperor."

"What? For real?" Schneizel asked. "Start a DNA analysis."

"Right away, my lord." Kanon said.

* * *

**_Elsewhere..._**

Lelouch, Kallen, and the Byakuen found themselves in what appeared to be a temple floating above a giant sea of clouds.

"Where... is this place?" Kallen asked.

"Judging by the shape of these clouds, the size of the sun... I think we're on Jupiter." Lelouch said.

"Jupiter?! We're all the way out here?!" Kallen exclaimed.

"No." A voice came from the Byakuen.

The cockpit opened and Rei stood up. He suddenly began to float and touch down. Rei turned around and looked at the group with a symbol on his forehead glowing.

"While this is in fact Jupiter, it is actually not Jupiter at all." Rei said.

"Wait a minute... who are you?" Lelouch asked.

"I am C, and I speak to you through this child." The boy said. "We are the collective subconscious of all men, women, and children, alive and dead."

"Wait... seriously?!" Kallen said. "Is that even—?"

"Is my mother there? Is she? Please, let me speak to her." Lelouch said.

"Lelouch?" Kallen asked.

C turned to Lelouch.

"Speak of thy name of thou mother." C said.

"Marianne vi Britannia, is she there?" Lelouch asked. "Let me talk to her."

The body of Rei shook its head.

"She is not here." C spoke.

Lelouch looked in denial. He shook his head, looking enraged.

"Impossible... you say that you are the collective minds of all people that are either dead or alive, what the hell do you mean she's not here?!" Lelouch asked. "What the hell does that mean?! Is she stuck?! Is that what you're telling me?! She's stuck between being alive and dead?! What the hell do you mean when you say she is not here?!"

"She is not here because her soul is still tethered to the world of the living for which she is not permanently one with the collective." C spoke said.

"My mother, alive? Impossible!" Lelouch said. "There was a body! She died! I saw it! How can she still be alive?! I want proof! Tell me or I'll make you tell me!"

"She possess the power of the king, just as you do, child of man." C said.

"What?" Lelouch asked. "My mother had... Geass? Are you... telling me that my mother had a Geass?"

"Geass?" Kallen asked.

C turned to Kallen.

"The Power of the King, a power bestowed by someone chosen by the Code Bearer who bears the mark known as the Code of God." C said. "The power manifests into the form of the many deepest desires of man."

C turned to Lelouch.

"For instance, his Geass was shaped to his desire to lead." C said. "And his mother had the desire to live. And so her power allowed her to move her soul into a vessel."

Lelouch looked in absolute shock.

"You mean... she evaded death on that die? She moved her soul into another person's body as she was on the brink of death?" Lelouch asked. "Her 'death' was all but a deception to thwart her killer? Is that what you're saying? That she... that she cheated death? If so, how did she come to possess it?"

"That is true. She evaded death and eluded her killer." C said. "She had made a contract with the one whom you have formed a pact with."

Lelouch's eyes shrunk in surprise.

_'CC?!'_ Lelouch thought. _'CC gave my mother Geass? That means she knew... she knew my mother and for that reason, she... she knew her killer all along... she... she knew all this time.'_

He dropped to his knees, now realizing what all of this began to imply. Every person who died either by his hands or by the hands of others since that day in the Aries Villa was...

_'Impossible... then... that means... all of that was... I killed Clovis for...'_ Lelouch thought.

He shook his head and got up.

"You called to him, didn't you?" Lelouch asked. "Why did you bring Rei here? For what purpose?"

"I have brought thy child here for a purpose for which he must complete." C said. "To destroy the Sword of Akasha before Ragnarok begins. Before the end comes. Before all becomes none."

"What?" Lelouch asked.

**BANG!**

Rei fell as a splotch of red formed on his chest.

"Rei!" Kallen cried, rushing to Rei and catching him.

"Nice try, pathetic Gods, but what you say won't delay the inevitable." A childish voice said.

Out came some child with ridiculously long hair and pink eyes. He had a mark on his forehead. It was just like the one on CC's forehead.

"Rei! Speak to me!" Kallen said.

She heard him cough.

"Kallen... Oneechan?" Rei asked.

"Be thankful I only shot him in the back and not his head." The child said. "Damn Gods... almost tried to ruin everything. Now there's a mess that needs cleaning up."

"You... who are you?" Lelouch asked.

"Who am I? Well that's not important. But what is important is now I know that bitch is still alive." The child said. "Seriously... a Geass that moves one soul into another body... just when I thought I put her in the ground, she flips the bird on me and now all of _**this** _happens."

"You... knew my mother?" Lelouch asked. "Were you the one who tried to kill her?!"

"And you are?"

Lelouch took off the mask.

"Lelouch vi Britannia! The son of the woman that you despise!" Lelouch said.

"What?" Kallen asked. "You're a..."

"Kallen, this is no longer your concern." Lelouch said. "It's between me and my mother's killer now."

"But—!"

"Oh I already knew that." The child said. "Your mother tried to sway my brother, your father. And so I killed her, or at least I thought I killed her. But I'm sure your father is convinced she's dead, so it really doesn't matter."

"My father is your brother? Impossible!" Lelouch said. "The official records states he was born an only child! He never had a brother, at least not a brother from the same flesh and blood that he came from!"

"Oh Lelouch, nothing is impossible. Sure, officially he was an only child, but he merely manipulated the records to make it looks as if _I_ didn't exist." The child said. "I may not look it now, but I am totally older than him by one or two years though since we were born as twins and everything."

"So my father knew you existed and kept the truth of your existence hidden and canceled the investigation to hide you from the authorities because you just so happened to be his twin brother." Lelouch said. "And did he tell you what you did to Nunnally when he had to cover up your murder?!"

"Oh I only crippled her." The child said. "Your father was afraid that if she remembered seeing me, that would be a problem, so he simply messed around with her memories and made it appear as though she was blinded by trauma when in actually, that blindness was forced upon her by the Geass I gave him."

Of course... it **wasn't** a coincidence! It was deliberate! His father had Geass and used it on Nunnally! He made her blind! He looked enraged.

"But hey, don't blame him. Blame me for causing all of this unnecessary drama." The child said. "Besides, I did _technically_ kill your mother after all."

"Lelouch! He's only trying to get into your head! Don't listen to him!" Kallen said.

"Lelouch..." Rei said.

"Then what about the war with Japan?!"

"Totally necessary. The sakuradite merely an excuse to go to war for something totally bigger by the way, we uh... didn't know that we'd find one of those temples you found until now that is..." The child said. "These Thought Elevators, especially the one you found here, they have a role to play."

"And just what is that role?" Lelouch asked.

"The obliteration of the Gods." The child said. "To power this sanctum we stand on in which the Sword of Akasha will finally snuff out the light of the Gods forever! And once it is over, everything will be peaceful, just like your sister wanted."

"He's... wrong..." Rei spoke.

"I shot you in the lung, how are you still capable of breathing and talking at this point?" The child asked.

"He's lying?" Lelouch asked.

"C... he told me that this place was linked to other altars aside from this one... all for the purpose of... destroying C..." Rei said. "C is connected to all of us... so if C dies... we all die..."

"What? No. I'm trying to save humanity from the Gods by... well... killing the Gods." The child said. "All the lies, the deceptions, all these vices man has, they are here because the Gods made it so! They gave mankind individuality and wisdom, only for mankind to be greedy, selfish, and savage imbeciles with so many beliefs that I bother not making a list about it!"

"And you think killing off the manifestation of humanity's own collective subconscious that binds us all to it will fix everything?!" Lelouch said. "Is that why Rei's parents had to die?! Why the Japanese were made to suffer for seven years?! Why millions had to die with conquest after conquest?!"

"Oh please Lelouch, sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. You're no different from me, your father—"

"Don't you dare throw that suggestion at me!" Lelouch said. "I am absolutely nothing like—"

"Oh... but it's not a suggestion at all. It's more like a resemblance, a strikingly similar one at that. Especially with the killing family members thing that I think he did a few times because I did the most of it." The child said. "I mean... have you ever heard of the Emblem of Blood?"

"Emblem of Blood?"

"I see... so it all makes sense..." Lelouch said.

"What the hell is going on here?! Answer me!" Kallen demanded. "What's the Emblem of Blood?!"

"Oh... it was... a period of frequent betrayal and assassination among every member of the royal family who coveted the Imperial Throne." The child said. "Me and Charles had to live in that godforsaken hell. A hell full of lies and betrayal... it claimed our mother and father, who did absolutely nothing wrong in this world. Killed for no other reason but to have a shot at the throne... you wouldn't understand the turmoil it put us through."

"And then my father overthrown the 97th Emperor. No doubt with you helping him." Lelouch said.

"Oh no, your mother helped along. I mean, who could possibly challenge such a strong independent and cunning woman like herself?" The child said. "Then we planned to kill the Gods and your mother was all up for it."

He glared at Lelouch.

"That is until she decided to have children and had second thoughts and even gave my brother second thoughts about it." The child said. "And Charles, who just so happened to love her above his own brother, decided to give her children, **twice**."

Lelouch noticed that the child's eye was twitching.

"She... she bewitched my brother... she was... taking him away... she... she was swaying him from the goal we worked so hard to achieve..." The child said with rage building up his voice. "That deceiving witch... that liar... that damned witch... she... she... she had to be eliminated... she had to be killed... but now she still lives... she still lives... and it's all CC's fault for hiding this behind my back..."

The child turned his eyes on a barely breathing Rei.

"And you... you disappointed me." The child said. "Instead of being obedient like the rest of the brats who you lived with for so long under the watchful eyes of myself and the Order, you decided to rebel against me and ended up all the way here."

Rei struggles to get up.

"Now that you're here, I can finally correct the mistake I made with you." The child said. "Those idiots should have killed you. Or better yet, your mother should have had an abortion."

Lelouch shot the child in the head. The child fell on his back.

"Let's get out of here!" Lelouch said, putting his mask on.

"But how?" Kallen asked.

"The same way we came in." Lelouch said. "He must have thought of entering this place, so it's possible that if we think about leaving, we might just get out!"

Rei got on the Byakuen and closed the hatch. The three suddenly vanished.

* * *

VV got up. They were gone. He got up slowly. He picked up the ejected bullet.

"Damn you Marianne... you deceiver..."

* * *

**_Back on Kamine Island_**

The three found themselves back in the cave. Britannian soldiers surrounded them.

"You're surrounded!" Bartley said. "Surrender yourselves immediately or be executed here and now!"

The Byakuen pulled out the cannon and started shooting at the soldiers. A piece of shrapnel grazed Schneizel's head.

"We'll use that to get out of here!" Zero said. "Byakuen! Cover us!"

"Right!" Rei said.

The two make it for the giant black Knightmare.

"The Gawain! Secure the Gawain!" Bartley ordered. "Don't let them take that unit no matter what!"

"Your highness!" Kanon said.

"I'm fine... I only got grazed." Schneizel reassures his friend.

Lelouch opened the cockpit to see two seats.

"A two seater... just like a Raikou." Lelouch muttered. "Kallen, operate the controls! I'll get the systems up and running!"

"Right!" Kallen said as she got into the front seat as Lelouch took the back seat.

The canopy closed and the monitors switched on.

"What is this thing?" Kallen asked.

"Doesn't matter, we'll break through them!" Lelouch said.

The two Knightmares make it for the exit. The Gawain opened its shoulder modules and fired bursts of red and black energy projectiles everywhere. The energy was cut off and the modules shut themselves down.

"An incomplete weapon... how inconvenient..." Lelouch said. "Oh well, there's one system we haven't used yet."

He pulled the lever back.

"Now pull up!" Lelouch said.

"H-Huh?!"

"Just so it!"

The Gawain had green energy wings form before the machine began to fly. Rei switched on the Air Glide and began to fly with the Gawain.

The two Knightmares begin to fly away from the island.

"We're... flying?" Kallen asked. "And so is the Byakuen?"

"That's correct." Lelouch said. "Let's contact the Black Knights.

"Our Gawain... our precious and prized Gawain..." Bartley moped.

"It was a prototype anyway. An acceptable loss is what is now." Schneizel said.

He looked to Euphemia who approached him.

"Sorry for being so late and rough Princess." Schneizel said. "Perhaps I kept you waiting for too long."

"No no... I should have been more careful..." Euphemia said. "So... about Sir Hodges... is he—"

"We checked that just recently." Schneizel said. "His story checks out. He is indeed the son of the late Kairezen xi Britannia."

"What?" Euphemia asked. "You mean..."

"Yes. Apparently born in the year 1990, while his father managed to avoid having his head chopped off, he married a lady coming from a clan closely related to the Sumeragi clan." Schneizel said. "However much about him has been completely ripped out of the pages of history, almost as if someone didn't want anyone to know of this."

"So that would make him... our cousin?" Euphemia asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Schneizel said. "Still... he should have looked at around my age. Which would mean that his time inside that dimension he was hiding slowed his aging... for 17 years. Maybe time flows differently in there. And if that's true, that would explain the Black Knights suddenly reappearing exactly three hours from now. For them... I'd say they must have thought that they were in there for at least a few minutes."

* * *

**_Across the Ocean..._**

The sub surfaced as the Gawain and the Byakuen approached. The hatches open and the Knightmares touched down inside the cargo bay. The cockpits opened and out came the trio. The Black Knights looked enthusiastic to see them coming back. Rei got down from the Byakuen. He looked to see CC approaching him.

"Well, it would seem you brought them back." CC said.

"Yeah... I really did it." Rei said. "But..."

"But what?"

"It's nothing..." Rei said.

"So did my Air Glide System work?" Rakshata asked.

"Y-Yeah... it totally worked. Though the power consumption..."

"Don't worry, we'll analyze the data and figure out a solution." Rakshata said. "As for the Lancelot's technology, we managed to reverse engineer some of it. Expect yourself to test out a new weapon on the Byakuen very shortly."

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Rei said.

Nina and Neha looked at Rei.

"You know, you really should try to have a relationship with him." Nina said. "Don't keep it professional. Make it personal."

"You know... you're acting a bit like Shirley..." Neha said.

"R-Really? I never thought of it..." Nina said.

"Maybe we both have fallen for him..." Neha said.

"EH?!" Nina exclaimed as her face turned red. "Y-You fell in love with him already?!"

"Wait! Don't tell him I said that!" Neha said as her face turned red.

* * *

A/N: And that's it for Chapter 34.

**Jibun... oh fuck it.**

Yes, unfortunately, this is canon. Lelouch's mother jumps to another body and hides in it and stays completely under the radar and CC, being the good friend she is to Marianne, doesn't bother to tell her son about her relationship with his mom and just pretends she never knew her. I had to assume VV didn't know about it in either R1 or R2. Charles knew exactly what was going on and had to sweep the incident entirely under the rug before everyone finds out VV did it for several reasons. Now if VV realized that Marianne had a Geass, he'd be absolutely pissed off at the fact that he basically fucked it all up and now he can't risk killing Marianne again knowing that Marianne can now jump from body to body and that Charles would catch on at some point if he dares to attempt it again.

If Lelouch found out prior to last few episodes in R2, he'd realize that his mother basically cheated death and that his quest to find his mother's killer was a wild goose chase (and seeing as now that he has found said killer and knows it was him now, he has every reason to be upset by all of this). His priorities would now change to kill said killer as payback for literally everything that has happened to him and all parties involved with his mother's death. I'm not sure how Nunnally would handle finding out about this, so I'll just leave that to interpretation.

**Rai having a hysterical moment**

I mean, of course he's going to be hysterical. He just remembered who he was and now remembers that he did so many bad things that it makes Suzaku killing his father look like it was an accident (which it technically is by the way since he got angry and stabbed his father with a knife out of pure anger).

**Schneizel's eureka moment**

I mean... after everything he had just witnessed, I'm pretty sure he is now interested with this 'ancient teleportation device.'

**C**

C, being the literal collective subconscious of humanity itself (either living or dead), I'm sure he had every reason to bring Rei over here to tell him 'hey could you blow up this temple thing? we don't like it and would want it gone now.'

Later peeps.


	36. Chapter 35: Revelations II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to Studio Sunrise and CLAMP. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution**

**Chapter 35: Revelations II**

"So all this time… you thought your mother was dead, only for her to pretty much cheat death at his own game." Naoto said. "All while leaving you and your sister to fend for yourselves…"

"Yes… that is the unfortunate truth that I tell you now." Lelouch said. "But even so… we can't turn back. We never had that option to begin with, now did we?"

"Hey! You said it yourself! The past can go fuck itself!" Tamaki said. "Besides! It's not like anyone said we could turn back at all!"

"Tamaki, I don't think that's the deal here." Naoto said. "The fact that all of this happened thanks to one grand deception is kinda tragic when you think about it."

"And now we know why Britannia was conquering other nations: to get a hold on all these 'Thought Elevators' all over the world." Todoh said. "We can't let them use the Thought Elevators. We have to destroy them one by one."

"Well we know where one of them is, but what about the rest?" Yoshida said. "Hell, we don't know how many of them are there."

"Well, that's something we'll have to find out for ourselves." Ohgi said.

"Still… What do we do now is the question." Asahina said. "I mean, the only path we have is straight ahead."

"Yes, we can't turn back. We have nowhere else to go." Katase said. "All we can do is move forward."

"Until then… we have a long way to go." Inoue said.

'_That's right…'_ Lelouch thought. _'I can't turn back.'_

"Do we continue fighting against the Britannian Empire? At this point, we can handle one Knight of the Round, we have enough pilots with that kind of skill level." Naoto said. "But I don't think fighting all of them would be a smart idea."

"As long as we don't fight Bismarck Waldstein, we'll be fine." Todoh said.

"Then that's what we'll do." Lelouch said. "As it stands, if all of the Knights of the Round come to Area 11, our chances are slim or nonexistent. We can't afford to take on Bismarck Waldstein."

"Then what the hell do we do with the traitor then?" Tamaki asked.

"Well we could just let him go. Killing him now would only encourage the people in the Ghettos to side against us." Diethard said. "Do we tell the people about what happened to Genbu Kururugi or-?"

"No. Suzaku's already gotten himself into enough trouble for now." Lelouch said. "Besides… I think he needs more help from people he can trust than people he knows are his enemies."

"Do we just let him go?" Naoto asked.

"He won't join us, so we may have no other choice." Lelouch said. "We have everything we need from the Lancelot and unless it's creator wishes to stay with us, we may have to let him go too."

"So that's it…" Naoto said. "In that case, we should prepare to send them up."

"Right then…" Lelouch said. "But before we send him up, I think I need to have a word with him."

"Go on then." Naoto said. "You got time, don't you?"

Lelouch got up and left the room. There was a heavy silence in the room.

"Huh, a power that could make a person do as instructed without fail and down to the letter." Naoto said. "And he never used it on any of us except for Kallen."

"Well you heard what he said. We'd know if he had used it on us if we had seen him at some point and wouldn't remember anything before, during, and after we are under that power's influence." Ohgi said. "Kallen is the only one who was under its influence when he… found her out without her knowing about it."

Kallen's cheeks blushed red as she pouted.

"How the hell was I supposed to know he was in the damn truck?" Kallen asked.

"Yeah, how did you miss him?" Naoto asked. "Unless you knew, but didn't feel like it wouldn't matter because that would be too distracting to just find him, oh I don't know, in a corner."

"Bite me."

"Nonetheless, should he really be using that kind of power?" Shirley asked. "I mean… he could easily…"

"He probably knows that by now." Naoto said. "But he doesn't have a reason to do that. That and he's gotten to know us all better by now. He's no different from the kid in that regard."

"Huh?" Shirley asked.

"If you haven't noticed, to him, we're basically the only people he can rely on." Naoto said. "He needs our support as much as we need his. That's the truth of the matter."

"Huh…" Shirley said. "I never thought of it that way."

"In any case…"

* * *

_**Elsewhere **_

"So that's it then, you're letting me go? Just like that?" Suzaku asked.

Suzaku was too tired to feel anything at this point. He just stared at Lelouch.

"Yes. That's right. I have no reason to hold onto you or the Lancelot longer than I should." Lelouch said. "Euphie would be heartbroken if she thought you were dead."

"Stop trying to cheer me up." Suzaku said. "There's no way she would want a man who murdered his own father as her knight."

"She wouldn't let that convince her that you aren't up to the task of being her knight." Lelouch said.

Suzaku furrowed his brows.

"That's not funny." Suzaku said.

"I know. I meant it as though she would be serious about keeping you around." Lelouch said.

Lelouch looked at his friend with worry.

"Suzaku, I know things haven't been easy for you, but I'm sure you'll redeem yourself in another way." Lelouch said. "You'll know what I mean once you find it for yourself."

"And how is that supposed to help me?"

"You'll know. You'll know when you find it." Lelouch said before turning away. "Goodbye Suzaku, and we'll meet again. I'm certain of that."

Suzaku was at a loss for words and perhaps at a loss for thought.

"Huh… eight years and he still looks very much the same." Lloyd said.

* * *

_**Later…**_

The Avalon picked up Suzaku, Lloyd, and the Lancelot all on the surface of the water. They got the two back on board. Waiting for them in the hangar was Euphemia, Cecile, and Schneizel.

"A lot has happened since you were gone. I trust that the Black Knights haven't taken anything out of the Lancelot." Schneizel said.

"No sir." Lloyd said. "Nothing at all."

"Say… where's Hodges?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh… he's been put off the active duty roster due to fatigue." Schneizel said. "He was very anxious to find you so I had him pulled. I'll have him reinstated after he's gotten some R&R."

"Oh… I see." Suzaku said.

* * *

_**Back on the Sub…**_

"Was it really ok to just… let him go? Even when you know—"

"It was obvious that he was going to be my enemy from day one." Lelouch said. "I can't change that. But… I can at least let him find some form of redemption somewhere. Just as long as he doesn't find it on the field of battle."

"Huh…" Ohgi said. "And the kid?"

"Rei? What about him?" Lelouch asked.

"W-Well… something came up and…" Ohgi said. "Look, don't get the wrong idea, but he might actually be dating someone."

"At his age? The only girls I could think of right off the bat is either Nina or Neha. Kagari? I don't know. He hasn't met her for that long. Nina is pretty obvious as far as how terrible she is hiding it. Neha practically built his Knightmare and helps to maintain and improve it for his sake." Lelouch said. "It's either those three or—"

"Actually… it's your sister he might be dating." Ohgi said.

"Oh." Lelouch said. "I… see what you mean…"

He couldn't help but shake his fist mildly.

"N-Not that I'm saying he's got a strange affinity to girls that are… you know…" Ohgi said. "What I'm saying is—"

"No no. You don't have to. I got the picture." Lelouch said. "I'm not mad about it. In fact I'm just fine."

"Are you… sure about that?" Ohgi asked.

"Yes." Lelouch said. "So… when can we expect to arrive in Tokyo again?"

"I suppose we'll be back in Tokyo in less than… a week from now." Ohgi said. "Why do you ask?"

Lelouch took a deep breath.

* * *

"You love her?!" The Yamato kids exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah… is that a big deal?" Rei asked.

"Uh hell yeah it is! She's Britannian Royalty!" Akihiro said.

"Ex-Royalty." Aya said.

"Whatever!" Akihiro said.

"It's a bit too sudden." Koji said.

"Also, if she loses a hair, her brother could kill you." Ren said.

"And that's coming from Ren of all people!" Kai said. "And he would care less about these things!"

"But…"

"What I want to know is why you're in love with her to begin with!" Aya said.

"Jealous sweetheart?" Koji asked with a smug smile.

She pulled out her sword.

"What was that, punk?"

"Actually, it's more than that…" Rei said. "There's also Lalah…"

"The Indian girl who goes to your school?" Kai asked.

"Yeah." Rei said. "But should I confess to both?"

"Better idea, don't do either." Aya said.

"She's got a fair point. Your first girl is an exiled princess and we're working for the man who just killed his own half-brother and possibly made life for her older half-sister a complete hell in a basket if you count the fact that you murdered one of her closest friends and threw Area 11 into chaos." Koji said. "If she found out, she'd be pretty upset and might even dump you first chance she gets. You'd be lucky that she wouldn't rat you out if she wanted to on the sidelines. Then there's your Indian girlfriend."

"We're not dating."

"But you said she had a boyfriend, and if you're sure he's Durandal, she might as well rat you out first chance she gets." Koji said.

"But…" Rei said.

"Look, just don't jump the gun, ok?" Kai asked.

* * *

"_So they know…"_

"_Yes Marianne, they know."_ C.C. said. _"At least he's a bit comfortable knowing that you haven't died completely, and hopefully, you might have at least one chance to make this all up to him."_

"_But… How can I now C.C.? All this time, he believed I was dead and because of that… How am I supposed to look him in the eyes again and tell him that I was sorry for—?"_

"_Marianne, I don't see why you have to prattle about this."_ C.C. said. _"I'm sure he understands what it's like to keep himself hidden from others, especially from family members and friends with only a few exceptions."_

"_And… the Black Knights… they… they trust my son, yes?" _Marianne asked. _"They wouldn't—"_

"_Well Todoh has known him for well over 8 years since he came to Japan as hostages, so he's checked out. The former Japan Liberation Front members seem ok with him since Katase has them on a leash. The former resistance cell members seem pretty straightforwardly loyal. Everyone else is… well, they can't let him go at all at this point."_ C.C. said. _"So as far as I'm concerned, he's good."_

"_I see…"_ Marianne said. _"And the boy… you say he's in love with my sweet Nunnally?"_

C.C. furrowed her brow.

"_Yes… why are you asking?"_ C.C. asked. _"I swear if this is about you wanting to be a grandmother again—"_

"_Is it wrong to ask for grandchildren?"_ Marianne asked. _"I mean, at my age, I should be expecting grandchildren in about a few years from now."_

Her mind became silent.

* * *

_**Elsewhere…**_

"Rude…" a pink haired girl said. "Oh well… I guess time will tell…"

* * *

_**Avalon **_

Suzaku went to Rai's room, only to find the man he knows as his best friend to be curled in a ball, muttering to himself. He felt something was wrong.

"Rai? Are you—?"

"AGH!" Rai yelled before falling out of his bed.

He got back up to his feet.

"O-Oh… Suzaku… it's you again…" Rai said. "I'm sorry… I… I just… I'm just tense is all…"

He could see that his friend was tense. Perhaps more tense that he lets on. His hands constantly shake. His eyes seemed to dart in a few directions, not making eye contact with his eyes, he was sweating. He could tell something was wrong.

"Right… you're just tense." Suzaku said. "I'll be checking on you later, goodbye."

"Goodbye." Rai said.

Suzaku left. He couldn't help but think that something was off.

* * *

_**A Week Later…**_

"N-Nunnally?" Rei asked.

"Yes, she wanted to see you by the chapel at night." Sayoko said. "I think today might be the Blue Moon day..."

"Blue Moon day?" Rei asked.

"It's a very special phenomenon." Sayoko said. "At one point in time, the moon turns blue."

"And what's so important about that?" Rei asked.

"Well… from what I heard. You confess your love to someone under the moon in that church." Sayoko said. "And that's all there is to it."

'_That's not much to go on…'_ Rei thought. "Sure…"

* * *

_**At Night…**_

He went into the church to find Nunnally. She seemed anxious.

"Hey there, Nunnally." Rei said.

"R-Rei…" Nunnallly said. "I… I want to say something."

'_Is… is she… is she going to confess?'_ Rei thought.

"I… Ive been lying to you ever since we first met…" Nunnally said.

"Huh?" Rei asked in surprise.

"The thing is… my mother was murdered by gunmen." Nunnally said. "And that is because my mother was married to the Emperor… making me a princess."

His heart sank. He had already known of this through Lelouch.

"Nunnally vi Britannia…" Rei said.

"Yes… that is my real name." Nunnally said. "And I… I… I love you, Rei."

It made his heart sink even faster and deep into his stomach.

"I… I didn't want you to get hurt because of me and my brother's past. My brother would not want me to have a romantic relationship with someone. It was too dangerous…" Nunnally said.

"Nunnally…" Rei said. "That's not fair."

"I—"

"That's not fair to yourself." Rei said. "To say things like that… you never once thought about why I miss my classes on days when the Black Knights make their move."

"Huh?" Nunnally muttered. "No… Rei… you… are you—?"

**CLICK!**

He froze up.

"I have found you at long last." A voice said, "The infamous White Beetle, it should I say the infamous White Flame of the Black Knights."

He turned to see a male in a Britannian military uniform and a visor over the male's face. The male took off his visor, revealing a pair of blue orbs.

"I am Claudio S. Darlton, and you, Eleven, killed my father, Andreas Darlton." He said.

He grit his teeth.

"Don't even try it. The place was already being watched." Claudio said.

Four other guns were being pointed at him.

"N-No…" Nunnally muttered. "You're lying… R-Rei would never do such a thing!"

"I am very sorry for this, your highness—I mean young lady, but I'm afraid he has done such a thing and I have proof of it." Claudio said. "Being absent on days like that of the Saitama Ghetto Ambush, the Battle of Narita, Yokosuka, and even those little stunts you pulled on a supply base and kidnapping Sir Kururugi. How do you account for those disappearances?"

Rei was silent.

"Rei… no… it's not true, is it? Are you—?"

"Not only that, but it is obvious that someone like Princess Euphemia of all people tried to get into school under the guise of a Britannian student who is obviously a half-blood of Eleven and Zilkhstani blood." Claudio said, "I'd understand her reasons for it, but for you, it seemed like the best cover you could get at the time."

"Rei… is this—?"

"Nunnally…" Rei said. "I… It's true… I… I am with the Black Knights."

Nunnally gasped.

"Can I shoot him now?"

"No David. We talked about this." Claudio said. "To kill him in this manner would do nothing to bring justice to our father and would bring no honor to the house of Darlton."

"Are you kidding me?! He murdered our father in cold blood! I'd say we put him on ice!" David said.

"No. It's as Claudio says, it wouldn't be worth it."

"Damnit Bart, why are you siding with him?!" David said.

"David…"

"Oh not you too Alfred! Are you actually getting soft right now?!" David said. "Edgar, you understand, don't you?!"

"David… we are not men of vengeance. We are Knights." Edgar said.

"But…" David said.

"Nunnally… I didn't want you to get involved in this." Rei said. "I was afraid you would get hurt… forgive me for lying to you."

"Oh shut up lover boy! It's over! Don't you dare try to sugarcoat all of this!" David said.

"David! Stand down!" Claudio said.

David did as ordered.

"We'll pretend this never happened, but only on the condition that you fight me and my brothers in combat." Claudio said. "As insurance, she'll be our hostage."

"Leave Nunnally out of this!" Rei said. "It's me that you want, isn't it?! If so, then leave her alone! She—!"

"We have no intention of harming her. But if you refuse, we'll just hand you over to the Viceroy and send her back to the homeland where she belongs." Claudio said. "Meet us in Shinjuku Ghetto 30 minutes from now, bring your personal Knightmare with you. Don't, and we'll know where to find you thanks to a transmitter in your uniform."

"You—!"

"Hold it! You know who I am, and clearly you know that means that I, Nunnally vi Britannia could command you to do as I—!"

"You're not a princess anymore. You can thank your brother for that." Claudio said. "We have no interest in him by the way, at least you can be assured of that."

"Y-You can't! You can't do this! Not to me or to him!" Nunnally said, bursting with tears coming out of her eyes. "Please… he… he doesn't… he shouldn't…"

"I'm sorry, but his actions warrant the death penalty." Claudio said. "So which is it? Are you going to accept or are you going to be a coward and run? Either way, death is already around your neck."

* * *

A/N: After the long wait, this fanfic gets an update.

**A romantic moment ruined.**

Yeah... got ya, didn't I?

* * *

Stay tuned!


	37. Chapter 36: The Glaston Knights

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to Studio Sunrise and CLAMP. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution**

**Chapter 36: The Glaston Knights**

"So which is it? Are you going to accept or are you going to be a coward and run? Either way, death is already around your neck." Claudio said.

He didn't want to take this any further than it has to be. But the conditions warranted this. He had to do this. He had to face him in combat. It was the only way to be sure that his father's killer wasn't some cowardly Eleven. He had to find out who this boy was aside from the obvious. He didn't want to take this course of action. It was unbecoming of a Knight. Especially a Knight of his caliber.

"I'm waiting for a response." Claudio said.

"F-Fine… you'll have what you want…" Rei said. "But I—"

"You want my word that me and my brothers will not only let her go, but that we'll also forget that we had sort of an encounter." Claudio said. "Don't worry, you'll have my word on that."

He motioned David to knock the Eleven out. A swift strike to the nape and Rei lost consciousness.

"As Princess, I order you to—!"

"Forget it lady, you don't have jack on us. All you got is a wheelchair." David said. "No title, no claim to the throne, no political power of any kind, no authority over us, nothing. Nothing but the wheelchair."

"Alfred,"

"B-But do I have to?"

"Look, I don't know how long he's going to be asleep and if he wakes up, he's gonna blow his top off." David said.

Alfred turned to Nunnally.

"I'm sorry… but I'm afraid you'll have to come with us." Alfred said.

Nunnally gripped the ends of the chair tightly. She was sobbing.

'_Rei… forgive me… I… I dragged you into this…'_ Nunnally thought.

* * *

_**29 minutes remaining…**_

Rei woke up. He was going to remember that one well. He… he had to get the Byakuen. He knew just what to do. He pulled out his phone. He had to get Kagari on the horn. He made a call to her and as soon as she answered, she explained the situation to her.

"So you got yourself in quite the jam…" Kagari said. "Alright, I'll bring the Byakuen. Should I get Neha?"

"Y-Yeah. Just in case." Rei said.

* * *

_**Docks**_

"So it's really serious…" Neha said. "Alright… the device has gone past the experimental phase with flying colors. It should give him the edge. I had it installed, so there shouldn't be a problem."

"Thanks." Kagari said.

* * *

_**Shinjuku Ghetto**_

_**25 minutes remaining…**_

The Glaston Knights had got themselves hold up in a building with a big enough room for the Knightmares to fit in through. Nunnally was placed in the back of the room.

"Brother… is this really ok?" Alfred asked.

"Are you seriously having doubts right now?" David asked.

"I mean… he sounds like he kinda likes her genuinely, so aren't we taking this a bit far?" Alfred asked. "I mean… what if she—"

"Not a chance in hell." David said. "She can't do anything for him. Not while she's a cripple, albeit a blind cripple."

"He's right. She can't help him." Bart said. "Besides… we can't turn back."

"Then will he show up?" Alfred asked.

"He'll come." Claudio said. "If all goes as planned, he'll do it."

"Tell me, all of you, why is it that you'd go this far just to fight him?" Nunnally asked.

"Tch! Isn't it obvious?! He killed our father!" David said. "He was the only one who gave us a place to live and something to live for! What would you know what it's like to be an orphan for all your life?!"

"David… you shouldn't talk to her like that." Claudio said. "She may not have anything aside from the wheelchair, but she's a daughter of the Emperor. I'd pay her the utmost respect."

"But—!"

Claudio looked to Nunnally.

"It's true. He did kill our father, Andreas Darlton, in battle. He was… he was a man whom me and my brothers came to respect." Claudio said. "He'd given us something to live for. We all joined the military hoping to one day be as great as he was and perhaps even greater than that."

"You mean… you looked up to him a lot, didn't you?" Nunnally asked. "And you were all orphans at the time?"

"Yes…" Alfred said. "Back then, we only had the orphanage. It was rough living there. We had to do anything to survive."

"But Claudio did us a solid by having all of us work together." Bart said. "And when he adopted us, we… we had a life I'm sure many would want badly."

"He treated us like we were his sons." Edgar said. "David knew him the most. Sure, he can be a meathead, but at least his skills make up for that meat headed personality of his."

"Hey!" David said.

"We climbed through ranks faster than anyone of our generation." Claudio said. "That's how we became the Glaston Knights. Sheer determination and all that training we endured."

"The old man was one of the best Knights Britannia could muster… until that bastard killed him." David said. "And the fact that he's only close to our age is… it's upsetting…"

"We have to defeat him ourselves. We went to great lengths for this. I won't let our efforts go to waste." Claudio said. "I'm sorry, your highness. Even if you do love him or he loves you, we can't let that deter us. Not while the honor of the name of Darlton is put into question."

A proximity alarm went off.

"So he's finally here…" David said, "And not a moment too soon…"

"Remember the plan. Overmen can sense a killing intent, so remember to cull any notion of that." Claudio said, "Act randomly to throw him off."

"Please… you can't… you don't have to do this." Nunnally said, "Must you really do this? Isn't there another way? You could die if you do this. He could die if you—"

"Fine by me." David said, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

She grew frustrated.

"Why must violence always be the answer?! Can't you still make peace?! Is that off the table now?! Is that it?!" Nunnally exclaimed.

David grew impatient with her and went over to her before grabbing her by the collar.

"Listen lady, when someone hits you, you hit back." David said, "If you keep acting like peace will fix anything, then you're delusional."

He put her back down and went to his Gloucester.

* * *

The truck's door opened and the Byakuen got out. It had a black attachment on its shoulder and another on its left forearm. He could sense it. Nunnally's presence. It was in that building. But he knows that waiting for him are the ones who wished to avenge Andreas Darlton.

This was not going to be easy.

The Byakuen entered the building. He kept his senses on high alert. They were waiting for him. He can't afford to slip up. He was up against the sons of a man he killed in battle. That man was widely respected by others, even Cornelia herself deemed him as a dear friend, their abilities had to either be above or near that man's level.

He instinctively pulled the railgun and aimed it up at the ceiling and fired a shot. A Gloucester came falling down. He backed as the machine fell.

* * *

'_How did he know?!'_ Alfred thought, _'I didn't want to kill him! So then why?! How?! How did he—?!'_

* * *

'_Got you!'_ Rei thought.

He retracted the railgun and pulled out the blades. The Gloucester pulled its rifle up and started firing. The Byakuen evaded the incoming bullets. Rei dodged the bullets and began to charge at Alfred.

The Sattel Waffens on the Gloucester were fired. The missiles detonated on impact.

* * *

"I got him!" Alfred said, "Claudio! I got him! I got him!"

* * *

'_Already? No… that can't be right. The intel we had on him stated that he reacted right before the trigger was pulled… so unless…!'_ Claudio thought, "Alfred! Get back!"

* * *

A large black hand grabbed the Gloucester's head and gripped it tightly. The hand had a red light coming from behind it. The forearm had glowing red outlines. A red light encompasses the head. It began to slowly heat up before the head began to short-circuit and explode violently. The Gloucester fell down. A blade severs the right arm of the Gloucester before it was jabbed into its midsection.

* * *

Alfred saw the red blade barely miss him by a few centimeters. The accuracy was unbelievable. Had that blade been any closer, he would have lost an arm at best.

It made him question why the White Jack intentionally did this.

There was nothing logical about that. Leaving him alive would only… but his Gloucester was disabled at this point.

What he was trying to accomplish?

* * *

Rei knew who and what he was dealing with. They were like him. Orphans. Children with nowhere left to go. He got wind of a transmission and began to jack into it.

* * *

"Alfred! Alfred! What's wrong?! Respond! Respond!"

"It's no use." A familiar voice spoke.

"You—!"

"What did you do to Alfred you son of a bitch?!" David asked, "Talk or I'll—!"

"I… I'm fine!" Alfred said, "My Gloucester though… it's disabled… I can't fight anymore…"

'_Disabled? No… he can't be serious right now…'_ Claudio thought, _'Is he… what in the hell has possessed him to __**not **__kill Alfred?'_

"You're probably wondering why I didn't kill him." The White Jack said, "And the answer is obvious. We're not that different. We're just orphans with nowhere left to run nor hide. All we have is the people who cared for us, who have been with us. That's all that matters to us. Isn't that right, Claudio?"

"We're nothing like you! You're just an Eleven who killed our father!" David yelled.

"Yeah, and you don't know what I've been through." The White Jack said.

'_What I've been through… what does he mean by that?'_ Claudio thought.

Then there was radio static.

* * *

He looked at the gauntlet that was now on the Byakuen's left arm.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

"Radiant Wave Barrier?" Rei asked.

"A defensive application of the Radiant Wave Surger." Neha said, "Thanks to the Britannian technology that we managed to reverse engineer, we have built a prototype that can be used as a weapon."

"Seriously?" Rei asked.

"Simply put, the shoulder piece can act as the shield while the left arm piece can act as a brass knuckle." Kagari said, "Put the two together and you have a gauntlet that can destroy anything with a punch, or even by simply holding the enemy down."

* * *

_**Present Day**_

'_With this weapon, I should be able to—'_

He heard a Knightmare dropping in.

"Bastard!" A familiar voice said.

'_Is that… is that the guy called David?'_ Rei thought.

"I don't care if you feel sorry for us or not!" The voice yelled, "You killed my father and now you dare to say that we're not different at all?! I'll kill you!"

* * *

"David! No! Fall back! This isn't part of the plan!" Claudio said.

"To hell with the plan! He thinks he can pull the wool over our eyes by acting sympathetic! I'm already tired with his bullshit!" David said.

"David! I'm ordering you to pull back this instant!" Claudio said, "David—!"

Silence.

'_He cut his radio off! That idiot!'_ Claudio thought.

* * *

"I know how you feel… but is killing me really going to do anything for you?" Rei asked, "We can walk away from this. Hand over Nunnally and—"

"No! I won't have anymore of your bullshit!" David yelled.

The Knight started shooting at Rei. He brought his left arm up. A red barrier suddenly appeared as the bullets smacked into it, melting upon impact.

* * *

'_A barrier?! When did the Black Knights—?!'_

The White Jack rushes at David. He brought the shield up to block the punch. He was knocked back, but he managed to recover. He looked to the shield to see a visible dent in it. It was useless! He tossed it aside. He grabbed the sword and held it. He remembered the basics of CQC. He had to get in close, it was the only way he was going to put a dent in that beetle head. He used the slash harkens to go up. The White Jack followed him up. Tripwired Chaos Mines suddenly went off. The Beetle dodged the incoming shrapnel.

"Damn! He dodged the trap!" David said.

The machine came at him from the side and delivered a powerful hook to the head. He lost his head and fell over.

* * *

The Byakuen loomed over David's Gloucester.

"Go on… what are you waiting for?" David asked, "DO IT! DO IT! KILL ME YOU BASTARD! I'M RIGHT HERE! DO IT NOW! KILL ME!"

He thought about his request…

No. He couldn't grant his request. He can't answer his challenge. He doesn't have any reason to kill him. There has been enough blood on his hands. He's separated enough families. No one deserves to die here and now. He has no obligation, no reason, no provocation, to kill him.

"No." He said over the speakers, "I won't."

"Gutless coward! That's all you are and that's what you'll be! A coward!" David yelled, trying to provoke him.

"I'm no coward." Rei said, "I have spilled the blood of many. I won't kill you."

"What are you trying to prove to me by acting like a pacifist?!" David said, "You're no different from Kururugi… he could have helped the old man but he didn't… HE DIDN'T! And all he had to say was that there was nothing he could have done… that it was all too late… and he still thinks he can integrate you Elevens into our society and pretend that things can be solved from acting all kind and peaceful when he knows that isn't possible anymore! It never was!"

He began to feel sadness coming from him.

"My father… he wanted to change the system so that orphans like us wouldn't have to suffer… but in the end… it was pointless…" David said, "He knew it wasn't going to happen… that it was impossible… that even with all his expertise in battle and in politics… it couldn't be done…"

'_David…'_ Rei thought.

"And now he's dead…" David said, "I… I couldn't even say goodbye to him… I… I couldn't tell him how much I loved him as any son would love their father… be it those who are related by blood or not…"

'_David…'_ Rei thought, _'I… I know how you feel… I never got the chance to tell them how much I loved them…'_

"Why bother continuing to live this life if all it does is bring pain?" David asked, "Please… just give me a warrior's death. That's all I ask…"

"David… the blessing of life doesn't come from having a purpose…" Rei said.

"Wha—?"

"It comes from what you do with your life that makes life such a blessing." Rei said.

Two more Gloucesters came down. He turned to them as rockets came at him. He flipped the barrier on. The shoulder piece lit up. The rockets smacked into the barrier and exploded. The Byakuen came out unscathed. The arm piece moved up as the shoulder piece extended to the arm and clamped down on it. The left arm now had a giant hand with a gauntlet attached.

* * *

"An upgrade?!" Bart exclaimed.

"Damn!" Edgar said, "We don't have data on that modification!"

"Even so—!"

* * *

The Gloucesters drew their swords out. The Byakuen had its combined blade out. The Gloucesters clashed with the Byakuen. The barrier over the gauntlet blocked the swords. They backed away as he swung the blade. The Gloucesters charged at him altogether. He dodged their attacks. He parried a blow and reversed the direction of the force. He backhands the Gloucester before decapitating the other. He pulls the drill out and stabs the decapitated Gloucester in the waist. He throws the Gloucester down onto the floor and whips the cannon out. He shoots the Gloucester in the legs, making it fall. He pulled out the barrel and attached it to the gun. He aimed up and fired.

The ceiling is blasted open.

He heads up.

* * *

Edgar got out of his Gloucester and looked at the hole made by the Byakuen.

"Damn… he really isn't trying to kill us…" Edgar said.

"David!" Bart said, rushing to David's Gloucester.

He forced the hatch open and saw David in tears and sobbing.

"David?"

"That… idiot… Why doesn't he get it?" David mumbles to himself, "What the hell is he trying to accomplish?"

"David! Bart! Edgar!" Alfred said, coming onto the scene.

"Don't worry, we're all accounted for." Bart said, "David though… he seems ruffled."

"Why does he care about us all of a sudden?" David asked, "I don't get it… Why? Why?"

"It's alright Dave… we'll make it through this." Bart said, "Claudio, he's looking for you."

"I know…"

* * *

Rei got up a few more floors and stopped to find Nunnally.

"Nunnally!" Rei said.

"Rei? What are you—? Why? Why did you come here? You shouldn't have come here." Nunnally said.

"I'm going to rescue you! Just hold on!"

"No don't!" Nunnally said, "If you try to save me… we'll both die…"

"What?"

"That's right." A voice said.

He suddenly felt anger and turned. He saw the last remaining Gloucester. Claudio.

"Right now, she's surrounded by wires connected to a few liquid Sakuradite explosives." Claudio said, "Touch them, and boom, all of us go sky high. There won't be a trace of evidence of what occurred here except for the blast. The military will just write it off as some idiot playing around with explosives. A rather good cover-up for unintentional regicide if that is what you're aiming for."

"You bastard… she's a princess and you—!"

"She _was_ a princess." Claudio corrected him, "And the only way you are saving her is to kill me."

"What?!" Rei exclaimed.

"The bombs are currently armed and I have the remote in my hand, take it and you'll be able to disarm the bombs." Claudio said, "I now know your weakness. You didn't want to kill my brothers not because of who, but because of what they remind you of. In this case, yourself. You lost your parents during the war seven years ago, long before me and my brothers became who we are today. You had no one else left to care for you. And then you were adopted by a bunch of terrorists who then joined with Zero and the Black Knights."

"Rei?"

"He was like a father to you, more than anyone else could. Or perhaps he was more of a she and was like a mother to you. But we can debate the subject of his gender later." Claudio said, "Regardless of that subject, he was the one person who inspired you to live on with a different purpose. It was only until Narita where you have left scars in the Empire that would never fade. The death of my father, Andreas Darlton, the humiliation of Viceroy Cornelia, and even the death of the Knight of Ten has rattled the empire."

"Rei… that's not true, is it?" Nunnally asked, "Did you… did you really do all of those things? Tell me it isn't true… tell me that it's all just lies…"

'_Nunnally…' _Rei thought, "I… I… I'm sorry Nunnally… but I… I really… the blood of countless soldiers stain my hands…"

"Rei…" Nunnally said, "I… I…"

"And there you have it." Claudio said, "He killed countless soldiers who had loved ones, family, and friends altogether. Tell me, is that the kind of person you love?"

Nunnally and Rei were silent.

"I…" Nunnally spoke, "I'm so sorry, Rei."

"Nunna…"

"I've been so selfish…" Nunnally said, "And look at what that has done…"

"Nunnally?"

"I… I can't do this to you…" Nunnally said, "I'm just a burden to you at this point. I… I can't let you live with the guilt of what has come in between us… I… I…"

Tears were coming down from her face. She sobbed.

"I… I want to see your face… but I'm scared… I'm scared that if I look… I'll see you die trying to protect me…" Nunnally said, "I don't want to let myself see that…"

"Nunnally…" Rei said, "No… don't be selfless now. Let me be—"

"No!" Nunnally said, "I can't let you do that! Not for me… I… I'm not worth it… leave me… you can live without me..."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Rei yelled.

"R-Rei?" Nunnally asked.

"I can't live without you! A life like that is nothing but torture!" Rei said, "Where would be the happiness in me not being there for you?! How could I ever be able to help you see again if you push me away now?! What would the point be in not being able to one day look into your eyes and find out what color they are?!"

"R-Rei…" Nunnally said, "But why?"

"Because… deep down inside my heart… beneath these bloodied hands…" Rei said, "I want to be with you, Nunnally!"

His left eye glowed with the power of Geass.

* * *

Suddenly, he found himself in some different reality. And with him was… Nunnally, with her eyes opened. They were an amethyst color, just like Lelouch's eyes. Their bodies… no, mental constructs are made of light. He leaped towards Nunnally.

"Nunnally!" Rei said, wrapping his arms around Nunnally.

"R-Rei…" Nunnally said.

"Your eyes! I—! I can see your eyes now!" Rei said.

"Rei… your face…" Nunnally said.

She touched his cheek and cupped them.

"Rei…"

She had tears flowing from her eyes.

"So this is what your face looks like…" Nunnally said, "I… I love it…"

"Nunna… your eyes are beautiful…"

"And so are yours…"

The two held each other before embracing one another…

And kissed.

Pairs of angel wings sprouted forth from their mental bodies. They enveloped the pair.

* * *

Rei snapped back into reality. He smirked.

"Claudio, I'm afraid no one is dying here." Rei said.

"Pardon me? I have the remote, and you are going to have to take it from my dead body." Claudio said.

"There won't be any bodies." Rei said, "Not as long as I don't have to kill you."

"And you think you can accomplish that?" Claudio asked.

"Oh I think I can."

"Then let's see if one of us is wrong."

The two boys clashed swords.

* * *

A/N: And now we're getting to the climax of this arc.

**Rei x Nunna**

The ship is sailing! It is sailing!

**Rei being a pacifist**

I mean, he doesn't like to kill people unless he feels like that person should die.

**Byakuen upgrade**

I know its early for that, but hey, a prelude to Gouka Byakuen would be nice if I get to R2.

* * *

Until next time!


	38. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. It is property to Studio Sunrise and CLAMP. Please support the official release of this fanfic.**

**Code Geass: Rei of the Revolution**

**Chapter 37: The White Flame and the Glaston Knight**

"And you think you can accomplish that?" Claudio asked.

"Oh I think I can."

"Then let's see if one of us is wrong."

The two boys clashed swords. Claudio backed away from Rei. Rei pulled out his cannon and fired a few shots. The shots missed. Claudio spun to the left to try and hit him with the shield he was carrying. Rei blocked it with the large left hand gauntlet. Rei pushes Claudio back.

"So… that's why you captured the Lancelot." Claudio said over the speakers, "You reverse engineered Britannian technology, _our_ technology, and made some godforsaken union out of it. A barrier system much like Blaze Luminous, only more effective."

"And what's that to you?" Rei asked.

"It means a lot when you're using tech that doesn't belong to you." Claudio said, "I will say that Knightmare is extraordinary for you Elevens to build, that is very original, better than those pseudo-Glasgows you call Burai!"

Claudio shot bullets at the Byakuen, forcing it to block with its shield. The Byakuen pulled its cannon out and fired. Claudio dodged the incoming rounds. He puts the rifle down and puts the sword in the shield, lifting the great sword up. Rei brought the combined blade out. Claudio swung the sword down, only for Rei to block it. He goes in for a slash, only for the Gloucester to kick the Byakuen's arm away. Claudio backed up and swung from the side. Rei blocked the attack and countered with a kick, knocking the Gloucester down on its side. Claudio got back up and backed away.

Rei fired a few more shots. The Gloucester dodged the shots. Rei went after Claudio. Claudio went up a floor and pulled the rifle out. He started shooting. Rei blocked the incoming attack with his energy barrier.

'_Bullets are useless!'_ Claudio thought, _'But the Sattel Waffens—!'_

He launched rockets. Rei blocked the rockets as well. The Gloucester was gone. Rei went up. His senses alerted him to an attack coming from behind.

He turned around and knocked the sword back, retracting the gauntlet as he did so. He tackled Claudio out of the building. Claudio fired the harkens up. They arched past the Byakuen and clung onto the building. They were falling from a height of 100 meters in the air. No Knightmare could ever handle a fall from that height. The legs would break on impact! He fired the maneuvering thrusters to slow his descent.

The two plunged into the ground. The harkens came off the building and went into the cloud of dust and debris.

* * *

"Claudio!" David yelled.

"Is he alive?!" Bart asked.

"He wouldn't…"

"He's tougher than that!" Edgar said, "He's got to be alive!"

Nunnally overheard.

'_Rei… please be safe… and please… don't kill Claudio.'_ Nunnally thought to herself as she silently prayed for his safety, _'I'm sure you two will understand one another and then… and then…'_

* * *

_**Meanwhile, in the Government Bureau…**_

"WHAT?!" Guilford yelled, "A fight in the Shinjuku Ghetto?!"

"Yes sir! We just picked up the signatures of the two Knightmares! We've confirmed that the Glaston Knights and the White Jack have engaged in combat!"

"Damnit! Alright, I'm heading out with my personal unit! Do not relay this to the Viceroy!"

"But sir, protocol—!"

"To hell with protocol! Area 11 can't afford to have her going on a rampage with all the psychological trauma she already has!" Guilford said, "Relay this information and I'll have your pink slip waiting for you!"

* * *

_**Shinjuku Ghetto**_

'_Why of all times is he picking a fight here?!' _Ohgi thought you himself, _'If he keeps this up, he'll have the whole army bearing down on the Ghetto!'_

* * *

The two clashed again.

"I have to admit, your skills are an undeniable attestment to your skills, but I will not falter just because you have me beat with some Knightmare that's got better specs than I have!" Claudio said, "I've got more experience in combat than you do! If I can beat you with that—!"

They backed away from each other. They continued to clash with each other, time and time again. Rei got the gauntlet ready. Claudio formed the greatsword. Rei reaches out as Claudio swung it down. Rei slipped the hand past Claudio's arms and grabbed his head. The gauntlet's radiant wave energy began to envelop the head and started to melt it. The head exploded as the arms came down. The sword severs the left arm from the Byakuen. Rei stabs the Byakuen in the chest from below as to miss Claudio in the cockpit. The Gloucester shuts down as its Yggdrasil Drive was no longer operable. A black-brownish liquid was leaking from the blade and the eyes of the Byakuen.

"You… you have bested me…" Claudio said, "Very well… I shall release her."

"Good…" Rei said.

He got his communicator working.

"Kagari, I'm going to get Nunnally, the situation is under control now." Rei said, "Can you make it?"

"Already heading to you! The military is coming!" Kagari said.

'_Damn! I got to move fast!'_ Rei thought.

He grabbed the disabled left arm and turned the Air Glide unit on. He went up to the floor he and Claudio fell from and got inside. He went straight for Nunnally. The bombs looked disabled. He grabbed her and opened the cockpit. He got her in the cockpit before closing it.

"Rei…" Nunnally said, "You're ok."

"And so are you…" Rei said.

"And Claudio?"

"He's watching from below." Rei said.

"Good…" Nunnally said.

He felt danger and looked behind him to see a Gloucester coming at him with a lance. He moved out of the way, but the lance nicked his right arm off. He lost his balance and fell down. The leg broke due to all the stress. He fell on his back.

* * *

"Damnit! Lord Guilford?! Now of all times?!" David asked, "Edgar, did you let him know?!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Don't bullshit me Edgar!" David said, grabbing his brother by the collar.

* * *

Guilford looked for the Byakuen. It was down.

"Well Jack, it seems this is how it ends for you, come on out and I'll think about sparing your life." Guilford said over the loudspeakers, "Don't, and I'm afraid your life is forfeited to death."

* * *

"Nunnally… I… I'm sorry… I couldn't…" Rei said.

"Rei…" Nunnally said.

"So be it." Guilford said.

He knew now that he had to do something. But what could he do?!

'_That's it!'_ Rei thought, "Hold it Guilford!"

"Hm?"

"I have a hostage, so if you come any closer, I'll self-destruct and she goes with me!"

* * *

'_No!'_ Guilford thought.

"Let me go Lord Guilford, or would you sacrifice one hostage of high significance?" The White Jack asked.

"You coward!"

"Coward? You tried setting an ambush for my teacher by trying to reenact Shinjuku. A bad move on your Viceroy's part." The terrorist mocked.

A group of white Burai entered the building on this floor. They had him surrounded.

"What's it going to be? Letting me go, or I take the hostage with me to a trip to hell?"

He gritted his teeth.

"F-Fine… have it your way." Guilford said.

One of the Burai picked up the Knightmare and whatever was left of it. They left. He turned to the boys.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Guilford yelled at them, "What the hell was going through all of your heads when you went through with all of this?!"

"Forgive then sir, I'm to blame for this." Claudio said.

"Claudio?!"

"It was my idea. I should be the one you should be berating." Claudio said, "I'll gladly…"

"What would your father say if he were here?" Guilford asked, "Did he really want you all to die in an attempt to avenge him?!"

Tears were coming from Guilford's eyes. He began to sob.

"Did he really want all of you to throw away your lives so recklessly?!" Guilford exclaimed, "Did he?!"

"N-No sir…"

"Please sir, try to—"

"I already know what you're all going through!" Guilford said, "The lot of you… the lot of you are in so much trouble! All of you are going under house arrest for insubordination! All of you!"

* * *

"My Byakuen! Rei, what have you done?!" Neha cried.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—!"

"Ganabati is going to blow his top off…" Kagari said.

"I spent my whole life on it and now it's a miserable wreck…" Neha said as she slumped onto the trailer.

"Neha…" Rei said.

"Rei, I think we need to talk about something." Aya said.

He breathed in and turned to a very pouty Aya.

"What is it?"

"It's about your girlfriend."

Rei immediately caught on.

"Wait, are you jealous I went with her and not any of you?" Rei asked.

All the girls in his unit, except Kagari and Abigail, had him surrounded.

"I mean—! Can't you girls share me? There's plenty of me to go around…"

"But… we confessed to each other… under the Blue Moon…"

Aya pulled out her kodachi and had the blade at his neck.

"Oh! So that's it huh?! The blind cripple gets your heart going by acting cute, but I get zip from you when I end up saving your ass!?" Aya said.

"I worked my butt off for the Byakuen!" Neha said.

"I saw you like a big brother!" Benio said.

He felt Nina's weight bearing down on him. She was muttering so fast he can't even tell what she is saying. She fell on top of him.

"Please…" Rei said.

* * *

_**Government Bureau**_

"I told you relying on them was a mistake, you should have told me." Durandal said.

"And what would that accomplish? Every time you faced one another it ends in a draw." Schneizel said.

"This time would have been different."

"Not in this case." Schneizel said, "Nonetheless, it had confirmed my suspicions."

"Your suspicions about your half-siblings eluding death?"

"Yes but, officially, they are just dead now, only their bodies were burnt to ashes." Schneizel said.

"I see… it would only give Zero the opportunity to try and sway any Britannians into radicalism and have them support the Black Knights." Durandal said, "So it is better to 'accept' that they are dead."

"Exactly." Schneizel said, "It is better for the world to think they died and leave it at that."

"I see…" Durandal said, "Well in that case—"

"Sir! It's bad!" A soldier said.

"What is it?"

"Multiple vessels moving in from the Genkai sea! They have been confirmed as landing craft!"

"The Chinese Federation… guess they picked a good time to declare war when Area 11 is no longer feeling secure." Durandal said.

"No! They hear the emblem of Japan!"

"That doesn't exist any—"

"Oh…" Schneizel said, "So that's their excuse…"

"What?"

"The Chinese are using exiles to launch an invasion." Schneizel said, "Durandal, you are being sent into Kyushu."

"Yes sir." Durandal said, "Alert the Viceroy."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

_**Out in sea**_

Chinese landing craft bearing the flag of Japan began to make their way towards Kyushu during a ravenous storm.

* * *

A/N: I hope you guys were patient enough.

**Rei's situation**

Sucks that every girl in your unit, save a few, are willing to question you for showing affection to a girl who is blind and crippled while the other girls felt the same way towards you (Joker...).

**Rekka Byakuen?**

Rekka Byakuen. GET HYPED!

* * *

Stay safe during quarantine and until next time.


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